This is a documentary, based on Sylvia Anthony's life, of the accomplishments, mistakes, successes and failures. It tells of her loves, sins, the abuses she suffered, financial difficulties, and tyranny. Through it all, there was joy, faith, and a tenacity to go on, regardless of the circumstances, and form what is now known as “Sylvia’s Haven”.
Beginning with her birth, it is a testimony of her uncanny memory for details as a child. The incidents of abuse by her father, and the love of her grandparents and uncles is told including the loss of two uncles. One drowned at the tender age of eighteen when Sylvia was only five years of age. Another, a grand uncle, succumbed to cancer in his early fifties when she was six years of age. Both, deep tragedies suffered by a very young girl.
Her teen years are told including her first love and, later, her marriage at eighteen and a half years of age. While the marriage was a twelve and a half year disaster, it produced three beautiful children. When divorced, she tells of the re-entry of her first love into her life and, later, her marriage to her second husband. That seventeen and a half year love affair ended when her husband was consumed by cancer.
However, six months before he died, he laid the foundation for, and founded with Sylvia, a shelter for homeless women and children, which Sylvia is still operating, over 21 years later, as “Sylvia’s Haven”. As the shelter has grown and changed over the years, the joys, sorrows, and hardships are carefully documented.
It closes as Sylvia is taking on still other challenges, relying totally on God's direction, protection and love for everyone who has ever donated to, volunteered for, worked at or resided at Sylvia’s Haven.
Born October 5, 1929 one half mile from Boston’s Logan Airport, from the very beginning, just as with all human beings, she was one of God’s chosen children. She was unwanted by her parents but God protected her and gave her loving grandparents and uncles so that she might be able to deal with the negative forces around her.
Born Salvatrice (meaning “savior” in Italian), after her father’s mother, she was called Sylvia from birth. From the moment she was conceived, God had a plan specifically for her, as He has for everyone. He brought her through sorrow at a very early age, abuse growing up, and several life-threatening illnesses, always protecting her and ever forgiving her sins.
As the years went on, God put her in His service helping Him protect all homeless, unwed mothers, and pregnant women and children, She has been at this task for over twenty-one years and continues to serve after having lived a lifetime of miracles.
She has been internationally seen on CBN, Pat Robertson's "700 Club"
She is a mother of one girl and two boys, all three grown and on their own.
She currently lives in Revere, Massachusetts, where her ministry survives on a few small grants and donations.
Preview
It was October 5, 1945: Sylvia’s sixteenth birthday party. She invited all of her friends from Chelsea Street, including Tony. He gave her a present that was very meaningful, a gold-plated cross. Tony didn’t have much money, so it was quite a financial stretch for him. Sylvia kept the cross and treasured it well into her fifties—when she lost it.
The following Christmas, Sylvia invited the same group of friends to her house. Knowing her parents celebrated Christmas at her paternal grandparents’ home, Sylvia had a private Christmas party at her own home. She kept this party a secret from her parents. At one point, Tony took Sylvia away from her friends into a private room. He kissed her so very passionately and told her of his love for her. Sylvia never forgot that kiss and his profession of love.
Then the inevitable happened. The following spring, a local young man came home from the navy. He saw Sylvia at Woolworth's five-and-ten-cent Store and asked her for a date. Having known Ted since about thirteen, she accepted. Ted immediately became very serious about a relationship with Sylvia, and would even visit her mother while Sylvia was at work. At one point, he asked her mother if Sylvia would accept an engagement ring. Her mother knew that she still cared for Tony, and told Ted she didn't think it was a good idea. But Ted persisted. He asked Sylvia if he could see her on a Sunday evening. This was unusual, because they were only seeing each other on Saturday evenings. They would go dancing, and Sylvia loved it. To have a Sunday date and go to the movies was going to escalate their dating time. Worse, he also mentioned that he would like to go steady! Since the relationship with Tony was on the outs, she agreed to think about it for a week. Then, she would give him an answer about the going steady thing.
It was quite obvious the issues with Tony were resentful and hurtful. Knowing that she was bound to see Tony during that week, depending on what transpired, she would know what her answer to Ted would be. Even though she made the agreement with Tony, she was very disheartened. She was still a sixteen-year-old child, and didn't have the patience she now feels she should have had."
Much later in life, after delivering her custom floral designs, she had had only three hours of sleep in as many days. It was a combination of exhaustion, some warm tea, and the relief that the weekend was over that got Sylvia into a bit of trouble. She was on Route 62 in Danvers that late Sunday afternoon when she became extremely tired, and put her head against the car window and fell asleep. Luckily, the road was nearly devoid of traffic due to the day and hour. She did not lose control, but with the weight of her foot on the gas pedal, her speed increased. Her left hand, also weighted with sleep, caused her car to veer slowly to the left.
As she approached an intersection, she heard three very loud knocks on the window where her head was lolling. The knocks startled her awake. She estimates she was going about 70 miles per hour. She looked to the left and a figure was there. It was a man who was nicely dressed, in a suit. He was of medium build and perhaps five foot eight. As she watched, he walked toward the back of the car, around to the trunk, and disappeared.
Coming back to reality, she realized she was over to the furthest left of the roadway, facing oncoming traffic. She was headed directly for a Ford pickup truck. The driver was horrified and gripped his steering wheel, bracing for the inevitable impact. Sylvia managed to regain control of her car and scooted into her own lane, shaking from the experience.