OLE STUFF AND SUCH My testimony, Part 2

By Frances Garner

 

God blessed us immensely by allowing us to move back here to Butler County to raise our children in the country.

Two other children were born to us and they all came to accept Christ in this church and one of them got married here.

It was here that I lost my parents and here that you rejoiced with me when I rejoiced and shared my sorrow when I was sad.

I have to tell one of the miracles that happened in my life because I promised God that I would tell it to my grandchildren and hopefully they too would pass it on.

I believe we owe it to our children to let them know what God has done in our lives from time to time.

On May 20, 1985, Robert was scheduled for surgery in a Birmingham hospital for removal of his larynx following extensive test in Greenville, then Montgomery, and finally Birmingham.

The surgeon had talked with us on Friday and gave us the diagnosis (throat cancer) and we had to call the children.

It was one of the longest weekends of my life, the preparation for the surgery scheduled for the following Monday, the tour of the facilities, and explanations of what to expect, plus the devastating feeling of the word ‘cancer.’

The children were to come up on Sunday afternoon to spend the night as surgery was scheduled for early Monday morning.

During the course of the weekend, we were visited by a couple who had gone through the same ordeal and the lady had crocheted Robert a cross.

She gave it to him and said, “Mr. Lowery, this is the only thing that is going to get you through this.”

About 4 a.m., everybody was awake when Ralph Thornhill (a former pastor and friend) stuck his head in the door and said, “Brother Robert, I know your pastor will be here but I just wanted to come up and have prayer with you.”

We joined hands around the bed (he, Robert and I) and he prayed and then left.

As I followed him to the elevator he said to me, “Sister Frances, I am not going to be surprised if they don’t find much wrong with Brother Robert when they go in there.”

I knew he was trying to encourage me but I half heard the words at that moment.

After being in surgery for about an hour, for what was to be several hours, the surgeon came out looking baffled and related to us that it was such a strange thing.

For lack of words, I suppose, he said, “It was the damndest thing I have ever seen. I have never looked in a man’s throat so hard for something but there was nothing there.”

I replied that it was a miracle and that it was. God granted us a reprieve of nine years.

He knew at that particular time that we could not accept nor handle the situation. This is only one of the miracles he has wrought in my life.

I wanted to especially share this one because I know that many of you were praying for us as you shared it in your cards and phone call to us.

God did not promise us a bed of roses but he did promise to never leave us alone and he makes the thorns easier to bear through other Christians.

To put these things on paper has caused me to do a lot of reflecting on my life, which so far has hurried by.

It would be nice if we could have a re-run but it just does not happen that way.

There is only one life and one opportunity with your children, usually one choice of a vocation.

God needs to be there when we make these choices. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you” is one of the most beautiful promises to claim in the Bible.

You will be making the right choice to claim that promise. To close, I will borrow the words of this song:

Take time to be holy,

Speak oft with Thy Lord

Abide in Him always

And feed on His word

Make friends of God’s children

Help those who are weak

Forgetting in nothing

His blessings to seek.

 

*This testimony was five at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in a Sunday morning worship service while Robert was sick with cancer, probably 1996, 1997, or 1998.

Cancer did strike nine years later after the miracle on Jan. 20, 1994. (Cancer of the larynx)

The reasons that I think God gave us a nine year reprieve. He knew I could not cope with it at that particular time.

We had just bought a house in Greenville, Robert had incorporated Lowery Pulpwood, David was still at college at Troy State University, Larry was not ready to take over the business, and many powerful prayers went up for us from Christian people.

 

AFTERWARD:

Frances Garner, who lives in the Friendship community of Butler County, contacted me in 2021 and noted she had a collection of memories she had preserved for her children and wished to know if I would like to publish some of the writings.

After reading through her works, there was not a hesitance on my part for including it as a series of articles in The Greenville Standard.

This is the last article of her original submissions.

I hope you have enjoyed the series and found inspiration to write your recollections and memories growing up from days past.

We would love to share them with our readers. Send an email to publisher@thegreenvillestandard.com or call 334-371-9900.