As y’all all know, this annual event has been goin’ on for a long, long time, and I’m not allowed to say how many years we all been gatherin’ for Mama, ‘cause nobody, not even Mama, knows how old she really is!”

The crowd erupted with laughter and a few comments, and then he continued. “We all have known Mama, some of us since she was a baby, and we all know ‘bout her love for us and how she’s been birthin’ and healin’ so many people for so long. We all have been touched by her somehow and this year for her party she’s been so excited to share somethin’ with you all. She’s been waitin’ for this party to share somethin’ with all y’all.”

By now there was a strange hushed silence in the hall, but I felt a kind of a panic because I couldn’t see my wife and child anywhere in the crowd. The place was so packed now I could barely move. So, resigned to my situation, I just turned my attention towards the stage.