Copyright © 2015 by Klangco Publishing All rights reserved under the international copyright law. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express, written permission of the author. The exception is reviewers, who may quote brief passages in a review. ISBN 978-1-56229-221-8 Christian Living Books, Inc. P. O. Box 7584 Largo, MD 20792 www.christianlivingbooks.com Printed in the United States of America Unless otherwise indicated, Scriptures are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scriptures marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Scriptures marked NASB are taken from The New American Standard Bible. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scriptures marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. _______________________________________________________________________ Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Milton, Simonia E., author. She's vocal/he's instrumental : a true story of faith, love, and music / written by Simonia E. Milton with Archie K. Milton. pages cm ISBN 978-1-56229-221-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-56229-223-2 (ebook) 1. Milton, Simonia E. 2. Milton, Archie K., 1941- 3. Music teachers--United States--Biography. 4. Gospel musicians--United States--Biography. 5. Christian biography--United States. I. Milton, Archie K., 1941- author. II. Title. ML423.M6215M55 2015 780.92'2--dc23 [B] 2015032271
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s the year 2000 approached, everyone was talking about and preparing for the turn of the century. So many people were afraid and anticipated the worst. Many were stocking up on food, water, and other supplies to sustain them for a long period of time. Thank God, nothing happened. In the backs of our minds, we were preparing also, but not as extensively as others. However, we did want to be prepared. Good news struck me that year. City Business Magazine selected me as one of its “Women of the Year.” I was nominated and selected because of the philanthropic programs involving students and community outreach. I also involved the eighthgraders in a special program, in which they also volunteered: Boys and Girls Club. Wow! What an honor to be chosen. I did not expect it. When I involved my students in activities, I had no idea I would be rewarded for my initiatives. Archie and I went to the luncheon honoring City Business Magazine’s “Women of the Year.” I did not know my picture would be on the top of the cover of that issue of the magazine. That was “lagniappe,” a creole word meaning “a little extra.” This recognition came with a lot of extra honors, to my delight. The 81
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magazine had an article depicting the activities that afforded me this honor and recognition. I was the only teacher in a public school who received this honor. Fannie C. Williams Middle School’s administration, staff, and student body were also part of this award. I could never have achieved any of this had it not been for the encouragement from the principal, teachers, students, and their parents. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. (Proverbs 16:3) In January 2000, we also purchased a house and began to decorate it and make it our own. My cousin, W.J., did the landscaping, which added immediate value to our new home. Later that month, James and Sharon had another child, a beautiful girl, Sydney Leana, in Texas. James and Sharon had moved to the Dallas area after evacuating for an approaching hurricane. As soon as we could, we flew to meet our beautiful granddaughter. We also realized that all of the Milton females’ initials were S. M. That was not planned; it just happened. That April, my choir students were selected to perform a concert at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. This was truly an honor for the boys and girls of Fannie C. Williams Middle School. Several years earlier, I took the choir on a two-week West Coast tour, and we sang at Disneyland in California. This time, I accepted the invitation with the principal’s blessing. We were to arrive June 1. A week before I was to leave, I was hospitalized with a potassium deficiency, and I thought I would have to cancel the trip. This would have been a catastrophe because the children had already paid their fees, and I did not want to disappoint them. The trip was scheduled after school closed for summer vacation. I told the doctors I could not find anyone to take my place, so they had to give me some type of medication that would keep me from fainting and allow me to take the trip.
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The day after I was released from the hospital, I got on the bus and took my students to Orlando. We traveled in two motor coaches. I was still very weak, but I had enough chaperones to take care of the children, and Archie took care of me. The students I had assigned to Archie and myself were evenly divided between our daughter and one of the teachers. All was well. The children performed the first day, and the rest of the week was for fun. We stayed in the music hotel at Disney. After twenty years of touring across the United States and Canada, I stopped choir tours and was thankful we had no situations we could not handle. We had some exciting times. One year when I taught at a private school, on our trip to New York, the bus ran out of gas. The bus driver went the wrong way, and the gas gauge was broken. The principal, who was on that trip, provided the necessary funds for us to be on our way. God protected us, and instead of our being disgruntled with the drivers (two drivers alternated), the Lord allowed us to lead them to Christ. This was a true testament to our faith in Christ. Over the years, I have received many cards and letters from former students who spoke of the joy they received on those trips. That made all the challenges worth it. But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]. (Galatians 5:22-23 AMP) Over the next five years, we started a Gospel band, in addition to everything else we were doing. In the early seventies, we had a Gospel singing group called Encore for Christ.
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This time, it was Archie’s desire to have instrumental players accompanying our singing group and me. The name of that group was ArSi and Vision. “Ar” stands for Archie, “Si” stands for Simonia, and the rest of the group was called Vision. We sang at festivals in and around the greater New Orleans area. A state committee selected us to represent the music and culture of Louisiana, and we were part of the Louisiana touring group. It was exciting and a great opportunity for us. We were part of the performing groups of Louisiana music. It was fun to travel around the state, but better to minister the Word through song. We became featured Gospel artists Monday nights at a local restaurant in the warehouse district, near the convention center. It was great to meet people visiting our city from around the United States. In 2001, my brother became very ill after having several heart bypass surgeries over the years. His first encounter with heart valve problems occurred in the early sixties. After having a five-valve bypass heart surgery in March, his kidneys began to malfunction, requiring dialysis treatments three times a week. This proved to be too much of a strain on his heart, and he died April 21, 2001. I assisted his son, Leroy Jr., in making the arrangements. It was a difficult time, but God gave us strength. My brother was a fun-loving guy who knew how to treat people. He was certainly a ladies man. Many of his friends and acquaintances attended the funeral, as well as his former wives and their children. It was a true testament to his kindness and forgiving spirit. Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief]. (Romans 12:15 AMP) Later that year, on September 11, our country was the target of terrorist attacks. This was a terrible time for our nation. Despite the shock felt nationwide by these attacks, my attention was elsewhere.
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That afternoon, I had a personal terror attack. My doctor told me the results of a mammogram, and it indicated I had breast cancer. It shook me to the very core of my being. After I cried and said, “Oh, my, what is happening?” I said, “Why me?” I actively attend church, minister when given the opportunity, pay my tithes, and give offerings. “Why me, Lord?” The answer came back: “Why not you? You’re a good candidate.” I was dumbfounded because no one in my immediate family had had breast cancer. This was a first–and a whammy. After I dusted myself off and came to my senses, I began to pray and seek God for solutions. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1-3) In October, I was awakened by a melody and words ringing in my head, “You’re looking at a miracle.” Even though I had not had surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation, I dreamed I was a miracle. It was four o’clock in the morning, and I immediately went to the piano and played the song I had heard. I woke everybody up. God was telling me in the song that I was a miracle, and I believed it with all my heart. This occurred after I declared to the Lord I was ready for whatever was waiting for me. I felt either He was going to heal me, or I was going to go and be with Him in heaven. It was a very bold statement, but one I believed with my whole heart. After I began to sing the song, I said, “Lord, I need verses to go with the chorus.” The Holy Spirit reminded me how my mom said I was born and when I was burned in our house fire; those were my verses. That was the beginning of the song “Miracle.” That November, I had a lumpectomy and lymphectomy, as lymphedema had occurred in my right arm. I began a course of
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chemotherapy, followed by a course of radiation therapy, and after that, a course of lymphedema therapy. I did not go through any of those treatments alone. Not only was Archie there with me, but also the Holy Spirit was with me. God did not allow me to go through that alone. My friends, my colleagues, and my relatives were all there to give support. During this interval, our group was contracted to do six concerts for the Elderhostel organization, meetings at the Landmark Hotel in Metairie, Louisiana. Elderhostel Inc., the not-for-profit world leader in lifelong learning since 1975, is the creator of Road Scholar educational adventures. The concerts were to display New Orleans-style Gospel music and its historic relationship to the traditional music of our city. During this time, I would have chemotherapy treatments in the morning and a performance that night. Many times I would become so overheated that I would have to remove my hat. At that time, I wore a hat to camouflage my baldness. This gave me an opportunity to minister to the people about God’s healing power. I also declared how He sent the Holy Spirit to strengthen me. After the concerts, many audience members would approach me and tell me about themselves, or family members or acquaintances who were going through cancer. They also testified of survivors, some as many as ten or fifteen years. I was reminded that God was still in the business of healing and miracle-performing. My last treatment of chemo was very traumatic and difficult. It just so happened that we didn’t have to perform that night because Elderhostel had to postpone the program, which gave me time to recuperate. God stepped in and made “a way of escape” for me. Isn’t God amazing? Before the beginning of the 2001-2002 school year, I transferred to a fine arts academy for middle school students, New Orleans Center of Creative Arts Academy. I taught piano at various middle schools. So I returned to being an itinerant
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music teacher, teaching vocal music and piano, after more than thirty years teaching vocal music. This step in my career proved beneficial to me, especially after having cancer. I had no idea I would have cancer when I took the position. Only God knows how things are going to be for you around the bend; we can’t see around corners. At times, when I had the chemo treatments, I had great difficulty going from one school to the other. The students were respectful, even when I lost my hair. Even when I was bald, I never stopped wearing makeup and jewelry to add to my appearance. At Carver Middle School, I had to climb up three flights of stairs, which proved to be too much for me physically. I was extremely weak, and sometimes I had to pause on almost every step. At that time, everyone reached out to me, which was most encouraging. On February 14, 2002, I had to go on leave. Despite the nausea and pain, I really felt the prayers and well wishes from everyone. Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:11) During this time, my Archie was tremendous! He seemed to feel when I was at my worst, and he would come and say, “What’s up?” Not waiting for an answer from me, he would hug me and kiss me. If I would moan or groan in discomfort, I would answer his question with, “Oh, nothing’s wrong.” He told me, “Simonia, I need to know what’s wrong so I know how to pray and what to pray for you.” Oh, God, I’m going to keep this man! But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
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I could not have asked for a better partner than Archie K. Milton. When you go through any type of illness or discomfort, you need someone who will pray with you on your behalf. Many times I would pray that God would continue to strengthen him because he poured out so much to me. During chemo treatments, he would be with me, or my wonderful daughter, Simone, would come to help me. I told them I did not need help, but they wanted to come “just because.” I had Jesus, and He sent the Holy Ghost to strengthen me, but I was thankful they came too. I would schedule my appointments for chemo and other sessions after school so they could be there with me. We need our loved ones to help us and pray for us every day, even more so when we are ill. We need to pray and praise our way out of circumstances. God inhabits the praises of His people, and I want to get everything God has for me. I love Him, and I thank Him that He gave His Word to fill us to overflowing. What a mighty God we serve! Psalm 22:3 says, “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel” (KJV). I remembered the songs my mama would sing all the time, and I used those hymns and songs to lift me up and strengthen me. After all, we would be nothing without the Word of God, prayer, and praise. He created them for us to be uplifted and renewed. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4, NKJV) In “Life More Abundantly: Praise!” a statement says praise dispels darkness and depression.1 Therefore, you cannot stay defeated or disgusted when you praise God! You must get up, shake yourself off, and begin to devour whatever it is that is 1 “Life More Abundantly: Praise,” accessed July 21, 2011, http://www.freewebs.com/ fjalcamo/praise.htm
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stealing your joy. Someone asked the question “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer: “One bite at a time.” Your reward will be great if you trust and believe God’s Word! That is what the Bible says in Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (KJV). This is important because many times your mind might just play tricks on you, imagining things that are not really there. Verse 6 says, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” At that time in my life, music, prayer, and the Word of God helped me so much, and with my praises to Him, He gave me songs to minister to me. I asked Him, “God, are these songs just for me and my family?” He said, “No. You should share them wherever you go.” As a result of the cancer, surgery, chemo, and radiation, I became an insulin-dependent diabetic. During my radiation therapy, I began to experience back pain. Wow, a triple punch! But guess what? My God can do anything but fail! I held on to 1 John 4:4, which says, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (NKJV). I did not believe that God would allow more to come upon me that, with His guidance, I could not handle. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (I Corinthians 10:13 NKJV) In 2002, I went through the depth of the illness and recovery. I remembered songs I heard my mother sing while she went through various dilemmas in her life. I now had a collection of songs that we crafted into a CD titled I’ve Got Joy. We wrote or arranged those songs, and since they gave me strength, we
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felt the CD could strengthen someone else going through illness or despair. Our CD was a catalyst for us to minister to people about the healing power of Jesus Christ. The song “Miracle” was given to me while I slept. I heard the words “You’re looking at a miracle, you’re looking at a miracle, Jesus Christ is all in my life and lifted me.” I sing this song with such conviction, knowing that the only reason I am still here is because of God. I also have sung this song in Spanish. Our friends Arturo and Fern Hernandez, and Pastors Carlos and Cecilia Estrada translated it for me. The Estradas–the Spanish Ministry pastors at Faith Church in New Orleans–were retired missionaries from Lima, Peru. They labored there thirty-five years, mentoring ministers from all over that country. The national conventions for pastors and Christian workers are held in Lima twice annually, in January and August. Peru is a large mountainous country; therefore, it takes some of the attendees a month to travel to Lima. While they are there, their room and board is provided as a part of their registration fee. All of the men are in one building, and the women and children are in another. They meet at the sessions and at mealtime. Then He said to them, ‘The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His h arvest.’ (Luke 10:2 NKJV) The Estradas return for the conventions, and we have traveled there several times with them. We ministered in each city we visited, but the main convention was in Lima. We flew to Iquitos, Peru, for a meeting at Pastors Pedro and Amalia Urzia’s church. Later, we took a riverboat trip on the Amazon River to the villages. The villagers in the Amazon want visitors to take their entire stock of souvenirs home. Archie and Arturo did buy a lot of souvenirs. We also visited Arequipa, Peru, with Pastor
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and Mrs. Willy Arteaga’s church. The city of Arequipa is built directly over a volcano, and there is volcanic ash everywhere. In fact, the bricks they use to build houses are made of this material. When the Estradas left Peru, they turned over the ministry in Lima at Cathedral de Fe to Pastor Carlos’ protégés–Pastors Arturo and Soledad Ramos. There is also a college there, where the Estradas trained many of the spiritual sons and daughters. The pastors the Estradas trained are spread out all over the world. They include Pastors Caesar and Nellie Boggio, whose church, in Sydney, Australia, we visited and ministered at. What a wonderfully awesome time we had there with their family and congregation. Sydney is a beautiful city, and the marsupials we saw were cute. In Sydney, we thought we would see Aboriginal people, but they stay within their own communities; very few venture into non-Aboriginal communities. We did get to see the beautiful opera house in Sydney. The long flights were difficult for me. But though I have had back problems since my radiation treatment, that did not stop me. I have had epidurals to help relieve the pain, but they were ineffective. Nonetheless, we continued meeting and witnessing to God’s people. Because we were visiting ministers to the conference, special staff prepared all our meals. Sometimes we would have menus of Peruvian cuisine. Everywhere we went, people knew I loved “pollo”–Spanish for chicken. Archie and Arturo loved beans; they could eat them every day. In the Peruvian communities, we ministered within the metropolitan area. In 2003, we traveled with the Hernandezes to their homeland, Honduras. In Honduras, we were featured music guests from the United States in Guanaja for the annual Baptist Convention. It was a very spiritually uplifting time. After the weeklong convention, we relaxed on the beach of Roatán, in the Bay Islands of Honduras. Roatán is Fern’s hometown. Her husband, Arturo’s hometown is the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa. While in
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Roatán, we also got to meet and dine with the former governor of Honduras and his wife, Pastor and Mrs. Glenn Solomon, at their beautiful home. Pastor Solomon was the president of the Baptist churches of the Bay Islands of Roatán. After our meal, I became ill. We prayed continuously until we arrived at his church for a concert I was scheduled to do. Archie was in a different car than I, and told the people I was going to be late. He did not know that Arturo was securing some medication for me from the store. When Arturo returned, I was feeling much better, so we headed to the church. Meanwhile, Archie was in the control room, waving his hand, signaling to the ministry that I was not there. At that moment, I walked onto the pulpit, and it turned out to be a tremendous concert. I shared how God healed me from cancer and gave me a song. It turns out that church did not permit ladies on the pulpit, but I did not know that, and no one asked me to get down. In addition, the church did not share testimonies publicly, but one lady asked to speak. She said she had already arranged her funeral and picked out her dress for burial. But after hearing how God had worked in my life, she had a new lease on life and was going to believe she’d be healed. Several others testified that night. When we left the church, we noticed it was very dark. The lights were out on the entire island. The church could operate using the grocery store’s generator, as the store owner was the musician at the church. So the program went on, and we had no idea the island was dark. When we got to our dock for the boat taxi, we had missed it and had to walk a mile or more to our beach cabin. So there we were, the four of us, dressed up and walking in the water. We had to be very careful because the rocks were slippery. Everyone was trying to protect me because of my bad back. As soon as we waded through the water and went into the cabin, the lights came on. We were amazed at
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how things happened and how God orchestrated everything that occurred that night. The island of Roatán is beautiful. From there, we walked in the Caribbean Sea and went deep-water fishing. However, I had to be brought back to the island; the water was too much for me. On that island, a person certainly would never be hungry. There where fruit trees growing in the yard, and we could pick fresh fruit, pesticide- and preservative-free. In addition, we had our fill of fresh seafood–lobster and fish straight from the sea. On August 12, 2005, I finally had back surgery to ease the pain I was experiencing since radiation treatment in 2002. Two weeks later, the threat of Hurricane Katrina caused us to evacuate New Orleans, and we went to Lewisville, Texas. Why Lewisville? The Holy Spirit woke me up that Saturday morning and had said to tell Archie, Simone, and John-Reuben to gas up the cars and head straight to Lewisville. So that’s what we did. I was awakened by a shaking, which I thought Archie could feel, but he didn’t. Then I told him about the dream. It took Archie a long time to secure the house because he had to go and purchase plywood to board up the windows and doors. Ordinarily, when a storm was approaching the city, we would go to Lewisville for three days and have fun with our grandchildren. We only took three days of clothing, and we secured a hotel, since neither Simone nor I could climb the stairs at James’ home. Two weeks prior, Simone had had surgery on both of her feet–the same week I had back surgery. Little did we know that the water would still come into the house. Sitting in the hotel room, watching the television report about the hurricane missing New Orleans, we were happy. Then we heard about and saw the water rushing through the city and could not believe what we were seeing. On our computer, we could see our home from a satellite’s view. The situation was unbelievable! The water was so high, we could only see
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the tops of our cars. It was weeks before Archie could get into New Orleans to survey the damage to our home. They were not allowing people into the city because of the level of devastation. But I pray to you, LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. (Psalm 69:13-17) The nine-hour ride to Lewisville to escape the hurricane caused several screws in my back to become loose and rest on a nerve, which caused me to experience severe pain until January 2006, when I had to have corrective surgery. I began telling people, “Now, I really do have a screw loose.” That reconstructive surgery did not alleviate the pain, which I endured until March 2010. At that time, I had a third spinal surgery, which fused my L3, L4, and L5 vertebrae. Thank God, it is still working. Hurricane Katrina dispersed our ministry team. The Estradas now live in Virginia, the Hernandezes live in Georgia, and we are in Texas. We are all near our children and grandchildren. However, we certainly miss the companionship of our team. The last time Archie and I traveled, in 2008, we went to Lima, Peru, with the Estradas. That was our last ministry trip. Several of us have some physical limitations, but we will not let it hinder us from doing God’s work. We know our strength comes from Him, not ourselves, as the Bible tells us in 1 Chronicles 29:12: “Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.”
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Hurricane Katrina left us with an opportunity to either hide and feel sorry about our situation, or get up and make something happen for our good. It was a difficult time, but a chance to explore other possibilities and opportunities newly revealed to us. After staying in a hotel for several weeks, we found a threebedroom house to lease for a year. Simone and John-Reuben found apartments in the same complex. The house we leased was beautiful, and it had a swimming pool, though I didn’t use the pool because I don’t like all of that water. There was a cleaner in the pool, but Archie still had to take out the leaves falling from nearby trees. Archie used the pool a lot. In it, he taught our grandchildren how to swim. At first they were fearful, but then they began to enjoy the pool activities with their grandfather. He enjoyed every moment of it as well. While life was moving along in Lewisville, we still had property in New Orleans that we needed to address. We had our house gutted, and all of the furnishings were dumped. Archie took pictures to show me. It was heart-wrenching to see the large claw pick up our baby grand piano and dump it into a large truck. The Christmas before Hurricane Katrina, Archie had just gotten his camera and taken pictures of the closets, rooms, hallways, and garage. He took pictures of everything. This was very good for insurance purposes. When he took the pictures, little did he know that would be a memory we would want to keep. It was hard to see all of our cherished possessions destroyed by the flood. The water stayed in the house for three weeks, destroying everything below the five-foot mark. Mildew destroyed everything above that line. Ironically, we had just purchased a new bedroom set for our fortieth anniversary, as well as new, custom drapes for our living room. I am so glad Archie did not want me to come and be in the house and in that atmosphere. I probably would’ve lost it.
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But then again, maybe not; I know that God’s in control of our lives. I am very thankful to God that we are all alive. Material things, no matter how costly, are certainly replaceable. Archie retrieved our son’s artwork, took the pieces out of the frames, cleaned them thoroughly, and brought them to be reframed. To this day, they still look great. Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. (Isaiah 43:1b-2a) Then, we sold our shell of a brick house and began to secure property in Lewisville, which is twenty-five miles north of Dallas. We selected a four-bedroom, two-story house without a swimming pool–to the dismay of our grandchildren. They liked the old house because of the pool, but the new house could accommodate a baby grand piano, unlike the leased house. Personally, I prefer an acoustic piano over an electronic keyboard. So I was very happy! The piano we purchased was the same brand as the one we lost in the flood. But there was a problem with our new piano; it would not hold a tuning. So Archie told the store owner there was a defect with the piano. The owner said he would contact the company, and he later called Archie and said the store would replace our baby grand. Then Archie asked him about an upgrade, and he agreed. We received a better baby grand than the one we had in New Orleans. God gave us everything we lost and more–the house, the furnishings, and the clothing. The school materials lost consisted of teacher manuals, all kinds of music that are now out of print, and so many other things we can’t even remember. However, not having those things did not affect our ability to teach or perform. It is truly remarkable how God orchestrated our acquiring such a beautiful home before either one of us had a job. The mortgage
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company representatives said they knew we had the potential to be adequately employed. Let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his elevation [as a Christian, called to the true riches and to be an heir of God]. (James 1:9 AMP) One week after we arrived, Simone found employment as a teacher in the Lewisville district. Archie started substitute teaching and later got a job teaching music at a charter school. I also got a job teaching music, at a middle school, although I was only able to physically work one semester. John-Reuben found an IT job for a communications company. God has an interesting way of blessing His people, and I am extremely grateful to be a recipient of those blessings. In September 2006, Archie was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He had the brachytherapy procedure, also known as “seed implantation,” which is a method of treating prostate cancer that has not spread beyond the prostate gland. This procedure is coupled with subsequent follow-up treatments. It is very important for men, especially those age forty and older, to have frequent check-ups. Early detection can save lives. To this day, he has not shown any signs of cancer recurring. He is a four-year survivor, and I am a ten-year survivor. Isn’t it interesting that I was diagnosed early with breast cancer in September 2001, and Archie was diagnosed early with prostate cancer in September 2006? What similarities we have; it is truly amazing. Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. (Jeremiah 17:14) Musically, in May 2006, our real estate agent offered to sponsor us in a concert titled “All Things New.” We just wanted to thank Lewisville for receiving us into the community. Our immediate family was featured in the local newspaper, announcing the
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concert and the fact that we relocated to Lewisville from New Orleans. The band and singers of ArSi and Vision came from New Orleans and Houston to perform with us, and the agency took care of most of the expenses. We were very fortunate that in 2006, we received a grant from the Grammy Foundation program Music Cares, which enabled us to purchase keyboards and related equipment to replace some of what was lost in the hurricane. We were grateful that we were considered to receive this grant to continue our music. It allowed us to carry on in our God-given gifts. And the beat went on in our musical lives. In December 2006, Archie was selected to be an active part of the Christmas production in our church. He was the narrator, the voice of God. He gave a wonderful performance. We also became part of our church’s senior Bible group, Forever Young Incorporated (FYI). Also, we, along with Simone, became part of the Fellowship Church praise team. The following year, in May, our music school, which began in 2006, held its first recital. It was a grand affair. Students played the piano and other instruments, and vocal students sang solos, including a selection from our granddaughter, Sydney Leana. The students and their parents were treated to musical selections performed by Troy R. Poplous, an opera singer, actor, and theater arts instructor, who flew in from New Orleans to be with us. In late April 2008, Archie, Simone, and I were featured in the musical “Crowns,” by Regina Taylor. It was part of the Silver Celebration of the Greater Lewisville Community Theatre. We had a wonderful time, and the audience was thrilled to see three members of the cast from the same family. Archie and I also joined the Texas Christian Songwriters Association, which is now the American Christian Songwriters Association. In addition, we began our home Bible study for couples age fifty and older.
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In 2009, Archie was able to have his oboe overhauled. It took him two years to get back into the proper mind-set after the loss of his instrument that had been his close friend for so many years. The first time he attempted to play again, it was a traumatic experience. After ten minutes of blowing, he had to go to bed. Weeks later, he tried again, and it got better. He was asked to play in the FYI Christmas program, and he accepted. It was successful, and it encouraged him to continue. Archie began his vocal music program at the charter school, where he works as a music coordinator. He teaches vocal music, instrumental music, and elementary classroom music. Though he began teaching there in 2007, the choral music program began in 2009. In March 2010, our eldest son suffered a major brain injury. He suffered three strokes in his cerebral cortex and spent nearly a month in the hospital. Thank God, he came through it all. John-Reuben walked out of the hospital to the amazement of the doctors and spent only a week in the rehabilitation facility. He was back to work by September, but he is still healing. JohnReuben fell ill within a week of my third spinal surgery–this time, it was successful. Though on different floors, John-Reuben and I were in the hospital at the same time. This was a difficult task for our whole family–and quite a challenge for the nurses–but God brought us through and closer together. Every day we are presented with circumstances that can overtake us. Yet God has given us the will either to be crushed or to stand on His Word and fight. Years ago, Archie had a little sign in his automobile that stated “Were you tested today, did you pass?” That statement really does make you think because if you don’t pass the test–circumstances–then at some point, you will be tested again. The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will
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show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.’ (Genesis 12:1-2) God wants us to be fruitful. Though sometimes it is painful when He prunes us, He does it so that we can flourish and bear much more fruit, so that others may partake of the fruit that God has placed within our lives. Archie and I are best friends, and we love each other deeply. Many years ago, we decided we would pray together before we went to sleep and in the morning before we got out of bed to start our new day. We read healing Scriptures each day and speak words of blessings for the day. We are thankful to God that He allows us to grow together in Him. I would like to leave this thought with you: If we trust and believe, God will bring the particular thing to pass. Don’t give up! Faith in God will bring you through all trials that come into your life. The trials will make you strong if you trust and believe that He is able to bring you through them. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the
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helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints– and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. (Ephesians 6:10-19 NKJV)
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