Late barrister-at-law and human rights advocate Nicole Sylvester had recently written a book and days before she died was working on having it published.

This was revealed during Sylvester’s funeral service on Wednesday.

Members of the congregation were given a preview into the book’s contents when Sylvester’s colleague and close friend Ianthea ‘Gigi’ Leigertwood-Octave, in delivering her tribute, read excerpts from the book.{{more}}

“Nicole wrote a book,” Leigertwood-Octave declared.

“It is called ‘Surrender to Grace’. We spoke to the publishers not long before she passed. We paid the cost for publishing; we had one document left to execute and we discussed that the day before she died.”

Leigertwood-Octave explained that while she was preparing Sylvester’s tribute, Jenelle Gibson, an intern at Sylvester’s law firm, told her that she should read the book first. According to Leigertwood-Octave, Gibson had helped to edit the book and had an idea of what she would find in the document.

“I stand here today because this is what I found in Chapter Three. She said ‘Lord, I thank you for my friend and sister Gigi; she is my Rock of Gibraltar on earth.’ Now Nicole is one for fanciful dreams, because I ain’t no Rock of Gibraltar. I’m more of a little Rock Fort out there in the sea, but if my lady say so, I go with the flow,” Leigertwood-Octave said, which was met with some laughter from the congregation.

The former judge of the East Caribbean Supreme Court also shared an excerpt from Chapter Six, ‘Joy and Tribulation,’ which read: “We must therefore, not lose confidence in the God we serve when the trials come. We must not be forsaken by God when the trials come. We must not become angry with God because of our trials. When we go through our suffering and by His grace we are triumphant in the end, what do we do after it is all over? We rejoice. We are joyful and praise God, we give thanks.”

Leigertwood-Octave also shared an excerpt from the final chapter, titled ‘Lessons Learnt with Thanks’, in which Sylvester acknowledged a number of persons who touched her life “in a rare and meaningful way by allowing [her] to understand more of [her] Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

In this chapter, Leigertwood-Octave was again mentioned and was thanked for teaching Sylvester “sisterly love, sincerity of God, truth and the purity of love.”

Among other friends and family, Sylvester’s husband André Browne and her sons were included in the acknowledgements: “André has taught me perseverance, friendship, love, compassion and sincerity. Nikolas has taught me faith. Justin has taught me love and warmth.

“There are many other persons who have impacted my life in significant ways that I may have not mentioned, but they are remembered and treasured fondly in my heart for the lessons they have taught me. Lord, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to interact with so many persons with diverse gifts and personalities that through them, I was able to see you and continue to see you.”

Sylvester died on July 2 and was buried on Wednesday at the Chauncey cemetery. Up until her death, she was the president of the Human Rights Association. She was a former president of the local Bar Association, as well as the OECS Bar Association.(BK)