The Journey with Vivian

“My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” — Psalm 45:1

Vivian… the most beautiful thing my eyes have ever seen… my beloved… my sweetheart… my gentle dove… my dear sister… and my precious companion and friend.

Every corner holds a story with you, and every moment is imprinted with your sweet soul and kindness. You have drawn with it a hymn of love. Your name will remain on my tongue; your picture and your beautiful smile will stay in my heart and before my eyes until the sun sets. Your love and loyalty will be the strength of every path and every good deed you’ve done will remain like a rose, emanating your perfume and becoming a memory that will forever last.

Vivian… an icon of beauty, light, and the salt of the earth—a candle that lights the path for everyone. You strengthened and empowered those around you; they drew from your beauty, grew, and found comfort. With you, everyone found peace, security, and endless support.

Blessed are you, Vivian. Jesus has raised you from the gates of death, and heaven has opened its doors to you with rejoicing and gladness. O daughter of Christ, so blessed be heaven, the blossom of blossoms, the sweet fragrance of Christ. The king’s daughter lay down, all glorious, adorned with the pearls of merchants and her spirit was raised by her good struggle to dwell among the righteous and the saints.

Every gift you received from God, Vivian, you poured out on those around you, never holding back. You took all that was yours and gave with full faith, abundance, and generosity. Every day of your life was a service that uplifted those you served and enlightened their paths. You served everyone, and your service spoke with all praise. You were both the servant and the service, and the crown is adorned with all you have done and given. Congratulations to you, crowned in glory.

The eyes will not be free from tears, but the heart will remain rejoicing and will see you through faith. Every time your image, my angel, comes before my eyes, I will kneel to Jesus, saying, “How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts,” — Psalm 84-1 “Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?” — Song of Solomon 3:6

Goodbye, my precious. Rest in peace. Pray for us all and remember your loved ones before the throne of grace.

I hadn’t seen Tant Vivian in a long time after to moving to Riverview. Clearwater Church was far away and traffic got worse with each passing year. I used to attend her Wednesday night Bible study from 2014 to around 2018, and that’s how I first met her. 

This year my husband and I visited Egypt. We had to change our flights to come home early due to some food poisoning issues. As we were approaching our boarding gate in Cairo International Airport, I saw that Tant and Ash were going to be on the same flight home! I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t seen her in years living 35 miles from each other but she was standing right in front of me in one of the busiest and densest cities in the world. We sat and chatted about our respective visits to Egypt, sharing some ridiculous stories and experiences we had this time around. I’m glad that God made us cross paths only three short months ago and that I had a chance to see her before her departure to Heaven. 

Tant Vivian was a ray of sunshine and always thought of the people around her. I will remember her for her care for each one of us, for her energetic personality, and of course for her sense of humor. 

Pray for us Tant! 

In 2020, I relocated from St Petersburg to central Florida to be with my parents and siblings and start my first job after graduating from college. Vivian made me one of her adoptees during my last year of college through Bible study and we stayed in touch after I moved. Her role in my life at that time was very special and meaningful and uplifting. It is so like her to quickly respond to my texts and always be fully invested in helping me figure out what I needed to. It’s also so like her to be very perceptive and mother-hen-like, that when I was going through my challenges, rather than give me the exact answers and show me the path to take, she knew how important it was for me to figure it out myself and take ownership of that process, even though she would be there to comfort me, reassure me to just keep working at the problem, and she was always praying for me in that time. I learned a lot from Vivian about being graceful, god-conscious, generous, perceptive, and how to meet-people-where-they’re-at emotionally. Even though, I learned these things I don’t practice them as well as she did by any means, but she is my role model reminding me to always try. I had challenges that I tried to grow through with grace, and that process brought me to a resolution that she may not have expected or chose for me. She never pried but I always knew that if I wanted to talk to her about how my resolution came about, then we would have a big yap session like always.  I know she always prayed for me. 

One time I traveled from central Florida to Clearwater just to hangout with Vivian at the phillipe house. We ate croissants on the dock, chatted with Amanda in the kitchen when stopped by  to see Vivian, worked side-by-side for a bit (her on Bible study PowerPoints and me on my medical school application), and ate brownies with fruit while binging The Chosen. She laughed to herself remembering how that area of the house was Anthony’s while growing up. It’s the front area of the house that’s very wood-y and reminds me of a ship.

I want to be a mom one day, and I’ll think of how Vivian talked and laughed about ALL of the emotions that comprised her motherhood. I would’ve loved to know her before motherhood and her marriage too - when she said she considered being a nun in her youth. I would have loved to pick her brain if we were both teenagers at the same time. 

I’ll pause for now so that I don’t ramble on. I love you, Farid family, and Vivian is also very loved and very much NOT gone or lost. I hope you find comfort in everything that’s comforting and good for you ❤️ This life is fleeting and Alhamdolillah we get to live a good one together and connected and fully aware of what’s to come ❤️