Excerpts from The Life Story of Jeffa P. Hill, Jr. - Fireworks on the Fourth of July

This story made me laugh. I can just hear Grandaddy telling it! I've been thinking my whole life that Grandaddy had led a calm, quiet life, when in fact, his life was more adventurous than just about anyone I know. I sure am glad Grandaddy left us his story. I find such joy in reading it, and it brings laughter and smiles and makes me miss him and Gran just a little bit less!
 
     After school was out in June, we piled in the Buick and went to Tonapah for supplies. Dad got a big box of fireworks at the store. "Junior," he said, "we'll show Silver Peak what a real 4th of July celebration looks like." I could hardly wait, but finally the 4th got there and then I didn't think it was ever going to get dark. When it got dusky dark, Dad got the box of fireworks and we climbed the hill between our house and the school. When them balls of fire shot out of the ends of them sticks, we could see a bunch of folks down at the bottom of the hill. Mom said all the people in town must be there.
     Dad got a pack of fire crackers out, lit them and threw them down the hill. They were a poppin and a banging all the way to the bottom. Then he got what he called a fountain, set it on the ground and lit it up. That thing spewed sparks all over the place. About that time, a little breeze sprang up and blew some of them sparks into the box where the fireworks were. “KER-PLOOY!!” Little balls of fire were shooting everywhere. Fire crackers were popping, little pin-wheels were spinning off over the side of the hill and roman candles were bouncing off the rocks. I had never seen such a sight. Neither had Mom or Dad or them people down below, I guess. 
     It was over in no time. I was bawling, Dad was asking Mom if she was alright, and a bunch of people were scrambling up the hill to see if we was all dead. Dad picked me up and carried me down the hill slipping and sliding and banging his shins on the rocks with me bawling all the time. When we got to the house, Mom stuck her head out the door and yelled at the people that had followed us that we were O.K. and slammed the door. Then she sat in a chair and held me real close, saying everything was all right and that we would get some more fireworks and really have a show, but I think all them people had already seen one.

One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today, I started my day with a prayer that God's will would be done in my Dad's life, and that His incredible peace would cover Dad and all of us as Dad's ventilator was being removed at 9:00 a.m. and we knew that he would probably not last long. There was an overwhelming sense of peace in that ICU room. Dad was ready to meet Jesus face to face, and he was not afraid. God's holy presence was palpable in that room. Every one of us could FEEL Him there with us. I have never in my life experienced God's presence like I did that day.

In his last hours on earth, Dad was surrounded by his family and friends, and at 11:26 a.m., he peacefully took his last breath. It was hard to let him go, but I know that Dad did not travel that journey alone because God was with him. It was almost like we surrounded his bedside and handed him off to Jesus! It was a very sad day, but yet, it was the most glorious day. My Dad went from lying broken in a hospital bed to walking the streets of gold with Jesus, whole and free of struggles!

Scott and I are so incredibly lucky to have had a father who loved us unconditionally, and left us with so many wonderful memories. Dad instilled in us a love for travel and adventure, a love for music, a love for people, and a love for our awesome, unfailing, God.

In the past year, our family has celebrated every holiday and occasion with an ache in our hearts because Dad isn't here, but with peace and joy because we know Dad is in heaven, and we will be there with him one day. As long as we live on this earth, his legacy lives on, as we honor his memory by going on adventures, playing music, loving people and loving God. I think Dad would be proud!

Excerpts from The Life Story of Jeffa P. Hill, Jr. - The Adventures of Huey & Junior

I have a feeling this is only a glimpse of the adventures of Huey and Junior. This made me laugh, so I thought I'd share. Enjoy!

Huey and me really had a time after school started. The back side of the mountain where the ole mill was, was really steep and we got some pieces of tin roof, bent one end up and slid down the side of the mountain. We sure did have fun until one day Mom saw us and made us quit. She said if we fell off, those pieces of tin would cut our heads off. Since we didn’t want to go around without heads, we didn’t do that no more. Dad made Huey and me skooters out of some two by fours and some wheels he got from some where, and we skooted them things up and down the roads around town. It was rough goin over the holes and the rocks in the road but it was lots of fun.

          One day Huey said, “Let’s don’t go to school today. We can go down to the spring and go fishin.” That sounded good to me, so we pulled up some bushes and crawled across the road with them bushes in front of us. Huey said that’s the way the Indians did when they was creepin up on the wagon trains. Mrs. Sullivan musta seen them bushes movin cross the road cause she came tarin down the road hollering, “Huey you and Junior get right up there to school.” So that ended our fishin for that day. I sure was glad she didn’t tell Mom cause I’da had to sleep on my belly again.