Sylvia (The Way to be Well) - (c) Hank Stansfield and Scott Gemeinhardt

"Sylvia (The Way to be Well)"
Words and Music by Hank Stansfield, Music by Scott Gemeinhardt

Sylvia, when we first met you, you were down,
Down so far you couldn’t smile or even frown.
So, we prayed and stayed to visit for a spell
Hoping you might see the way to be well.

Sylvia, as you recover over time
Know that you are in our hearts and on our minds.
You have a second chance to know that from above
Comes the way to be well and to love.

The way to be well is so much more than fitness.
You’ll see and understand
That when we finally must leave this
World of rags and riches
We’ll be in God’s hands.

Sylvia, well here we are to pray again
For strength and health and for life everlasting!
Jesus came to save us all from sin and hell.
Just believe and know the way to be well.
Know that Jesus is The Way to be well!

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The Story behind this song...

My friend Scott's Grandma, Sylvia, had a massive stroke. She was refusing the feeding tube and wanted to die, so Scott asked me to go to the hospital and pray for her (Scott lives in Florida and I live in NJ near his Grandma).

I brought Ed, a friend from my church, and when we got to the hospital Sylvia could move only here eyes, she was paralyzed. She was surrounded by family and friends who were there, basically, to say goodbye. We prayed and thanked God for the loved ones gathered around us. We thanked Him that Jesus came to forgive our sins and we prayed that she would want to live again. Then we talked with the family for awhile and left.

The next day Scott and Kim (his wife) called and said, "The doctor says its a miracle! Sylvia wants to live again. She is accepting the feeding tube!"

Praise God! He saved her life, but she still didn't know The Lord (she was Jewish and not practicing). So God placed a song in my heart and I began to write...

Over time, Sylvia recovered greatly to the point where she could speak clearly and feed herself and make us laugh GREATLY (she has an excellent sense of humor)!

Sylvia heard the song for the first time at her birthday party. Later that day Kim explained to her the good news about Jesus, and Sylvia prayed to accept Him as her Lord and Savior!

We thank God for His love, mercy and faithfulness! It is humbling to think that God can use us so dramatically. He is strong to save! Less than 2 months later, at 83 years old, Sylvia went home to be with The Lord.