Billy’s Tornado
A family story about a storm, faith, and miracles
By: Joseph S. Bonsall
For my precious and loving daughters, Jennifer and Sabrina.
Also, for the lost—may they be found!
Authors Note
Severe weather is a term that we have become all too familiar with. Instead of old-fashioned thunderstorms and such, there has been a rash of horrific tornadoes belting a good part of our nation over the last several years. Entire cities have been ravaged and many have lost their lives to these freaks of nature.
I wrote Billy’s Tornado after such a storm rolled through Macon County, Tennessee a few years ago. The beast touched down just south of Lafayette, TN and proceeded to rip a path of destruction for almost 15 miles before it dissipated and went away to wherever such a thing goes after the deed is done.
Just a year before, a deadly storm swept through Sumner County in Middle Tennessee and devastated my singing partner William Lee Golden’s home while he and his wife and son gathered in a downstairs bathroom praying for God to spare their lives… which He did. So many others were not as fortunate.
Our good friends Al and Chris Zar lost everything in the great Joplin tornado a year ago and more recently tornadoes have hit hard in Georgia, Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, and even Branson, Missouri.
But back to Macon County and Billy’s Tornado. My wife Mary and I own a farm on the Tennessee/Kentucky line about 14 miles north of Lafayette, so after the storm we drove up there to check our property. We passed mile after mile of destruction that included the complete devastation of the Antioch Baptist Church (which I allude to in Billy’s Tornado).
My farm was okay. Some downed trees, a piece of an upper barn was torn away, and a lot of fencing was destroyed, but damage was minimal. In my fields, though, lay a bunch of debris. Little pieces of people’s lives scattered around like toys. I found all kinds of things including a checkbook that belonged to a fellow who lived 12 miles away. I later learned that a good friend of mine lost his daughter and granddaughter when the tornado ripped their home to shreds.
You always want to DO something. The Oak Ridge Boys have been a part of two tornado benefit concerts. One for Sumner and one for Macon County, and I would guess there might be more in our future. Mary and I helped to rebuild the Antioch church and we also gave to a foundation honoring my friend’s very personal loss.
After seeing the aftermath up close I wrote Billy’s Tornado and was honored that Sheaf House Publishers included it in my book From My Perspective—which brings me to the Taneyhills Community Library in Branson. After the recent tornado damaged much of this All American City where the Oak Ridge Boys play on a regular basis, my book publisher called. They wanted to do something to help and agreed to donate profits from sales of my book for a month to help out in Branson. I threw in my royalties, and we both decided that the rebuilding the library was a good idea. Literacy is very important to me and a library stands as a beacon of literacy. When I was a kid growing up in Philadelphia I NEVER bought one book. I always went to the library and so many people still do that today. So it all seemed like a good idea.
I hope folks will buy a copy of From My Perspective for the cause, and I hope they enjoy Billy’s Tornado, the story of a family whose faith is tested by a devastating tornado that disrupts their lives in every way possible. Sound familiar?
Unfortunately… the answer is yes!
~ Joe Bonsall
March 15, 2012
Billy’s Tornado
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory, which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18
Little Billy Lyons had been fast asleep in his bed just moments before a huge train seemed to rumble right on through his house. An evil train that would destroy almost every single thing he and his family owned. One would certainly think there was a certain amount of safety in being inside one’s own room, nestled deep within one’s Indianapolis Colts oversized fleece blanket. But on this night of nights very few were safe from the thunder and utter chaos that seemed to descend from the sky like some sort of monster. It was, in fact, a terrible storm that would change the lives of the Lyons family forever.
Billy and his mom and dad had moved to the Midwest from California last year, and everything seemed to be working out well for the Lyons family. Billy’s dad was a construction engineer, and it was not hard for him to latch onto a new and good-paying job. The world was growing every day, and there was always a need for a man who knew how to build things.
Billy’s mom was a pre-school teacher, and the Antioch Baptist Church had a great pre-school program where she fit in immediately. The slower-paced lifestyle was a welcome change from the hectic and traffic-ridden area of the country where the Lyons family had lived before. Besides all that, his mom was especially tired of forest fires, mudslides, and earthquakes. Getting out of southern California just seemed like a good idea.
Their timing was great as well from a financial standpoint. They were able to sell their modest home in California and build a much nicer, two story home here—and still have money left over to put away for Billy’s future and perhaps a few extras. Dad still drove his old Ford Bronco, but mom ended up with a new GM Saturn and just loved it.
I guess they never really put much thought into a possible tornado. In fact, a tornado never even crossed their mind. It had been such a good day too, especially for Billy. The sun was shining brightly and the weather seemed really warm for this time of the year. Billy was able to wear the Indianapolis Colts windbreaker he had received for Christmas for the very first time, and he showed it off to all of his classmates with pride.
He also brought home a great report card, and his mom and dad were very proud of him. All A’s and just one C in math, but Billy promised he would do better on that one. (Although he really wasn’t sure he could. Math just seemed so hard for him.) His dad told him that it would get even harder as he progressed to middle school and high school—and eventually college. That thought almost made him sick on his stomach because in his mind all mathematics pretty much sucked!Besides, what did math have to do with football?
Billy loved football. His room was adorned with all kinds of Colts stuff. In fact, one whole wall was devoted to a life-sized Peyton Manning that just stuck there like magic. The giant Peyton was a Christmas gift from his dad. It stretched from floorboard to ceiling and Billy loved it. He also adored the Colts, and he was not even sure why.
There was no NFL team in Southern California to cheer for, and he didn’t like the Raiders or Forty-Niners much. But somehow he took a liking to the Colts, and now they owned his complete love and dedication. They rewarded Billy by actually winning the Super Bowl over da Bears, which was very cool.
Billy was not a very big boy, but he had a ton of heart. He had played Little League football for several years now, and he was a darn good player. He prayed every night that God would help him to grow bigger and stronger so that one day he could play for Indianapolis.
On the night the train came Billy was dreaming that he was on an NFL practice field and, as a wide receiver, he was running pass routes. Peyton Manning would drop back from behind the center and hit him right on the numbers in full stride no matter which way he would cut and run. Let’s face it, man, Peyton is the best quarterback who has ever lived. Oh, Tom Brady was pretty good too, and there were some other guys coming along like Leinart and Young. But Peyton just had to be . . .
“BILLY! Wake up, son! I mean RIGHT NOW!”
Billy was already in the wake-up mode because he could hear Jack barking somewhere outside. That was strange because usually at night Jack was asleep at the foot of the bed. Jack was a three-year-old Irish setter that made the trip to the Midwest with the Lyons family.
Man, that trip was a doozy, thought Billy. Jack actually peed inside the Bronco once and Mom threatened to throw him out the window in some town named Tucumcari, New Mexico. Dad laughed for a hundred miles.
Dad was not laughing now!
“Come on, son, put some clothes on and come with me. There is a big storm heading this way.”
Billy jumped out of bed and started to quickly take off his pajamas and get into his jeans and sweatshirt. He was shaking a bit. The tone of his dad’s voice actually scared him. A storm was coming?
“Where is Mom?” Billy asked as he tied up his sneakers.
“She is looking after the horses. Let’s roll, pal. She will meet us in the basement.”
Moments before, his dad had been sitting in the living room watching television. Like most men he was not content to stay committed to a single channel for very long. With the remote control in one hand and a hot cup of his wife’s special chamomile tea in the other, he would search through a good mix of news, sports, and movies. Billy’s mom, reading a new Max Lucado inspirational book while nestled in her favorite chair by her favorite lamp, just couldn’t’ take it anymore.
“Honey, will you please stop it? You are driving me nuts with that thing.”
“Not a long drive either!” he answered with a laugh.
She scowled at him, but he knew she really wasn’t mad. He knew how to push the envelope, and he also knew when to put on the brakes. That was called marriage and he did, in fact, love and adore this wonderful woman.
By then a pretty decent rainstorm was going on outside, and the wind was starting to have a bit of a kick to it. “Put on the local news or weather, hon,” she said. “I don’t like the sound of that storm out there.”
Billy’s dad flipped to the local news station. There before them was the storm tracker radar showing red and purple colors all over the screen. It seemed a huge front was coming through very quickly and tornado warnings were in effect for--
Just then loud sirens began to wail from nearby, as the weather person was giving instructions. “This is not a watch—it is a warning, which means that tornadoes have been spotted in the following counties. You are urged to go to your basement immediately. Stay away from glass. Do not go outside!”
Billy’s dad was on it. “I will grab a flashlight and go get Billy!”
His mom headed for the side door just as Jack came bounding down the stairs from Billy’s room. Barking loudly, he followed her out the door.
“Where are you going?” Billy’s dad yelled frantically.
“I want to secure the horses. I will meet you in the basement!”
“But, honey—”
“I will be fine. I have to look after Puff and Stuff. Get Billy downstairs. I will be there in a shake.”
One of the real perks of owning a bit of land was being able to own two beautiful horses. Billy’s mom had loved horses from the time she was little, but she grew up in a city where there was no room to accommodate her dream. With Jack at her side, she ran the fifty yards to the barn and opened up the big door. Puff and Stuff were each in their stalls, and she just wanted to make sure that--
The tornado came without warning. She heard the deafening roar behind her as she opened the barn door. She turned around, and what she saw through the pouring rain was like a nightmare. This thing was right above her house and churning it to pieces. She ran back towards the house screaming. Jack was still right on her heels barking loudly.
Billy’s dad had scooped him up in his arms and carried him down to the basement. There was a full bathroom, surrounded by a cinderblock wall. His dad would come home from work on some nights, enter the basement through a side entrance at the bottom of a stairwell, and then shower down here before going upstairs.
As they entered the little protected room Billy asked, “Where is Mom?”
“She will be here in a minute, son. That woman and her horses—”
At that very moment in time and space, the train came. At least that is what it sounded like. It was a very loud train. Louder than anything Billy or his father had ever heard.
Billy’s dad grabbed him and held him close. He sat down hard and leaned against a wall while all hell broke loose above them. Breaking glass, cracking wood, falling trees. It sounded like the end of the world, and perhaps it was. The pressure behind their eyes and inside their ears was maddening. It felt like the tornado was on them for hours when, in fact, it had only been about thirty seconds. Then a complete and eerie silence enveloped them.
Billy and his dad began to slowly pick up the sounds of crying and sobbing as their hearing returned, and quickly realized the sounds were actually coming from themselves. Billy’s dad stood up and looked around the basement. There were two windows in the basement, and they were both shattered and sort of caved in. The stairwell that lead to the upstairs was also caved in so there was no way to get back up into the house. The outside stairwell that led up and out of the basement was covered up in debris, including what was left of a huge oak tree that had stood like a huge sentinel right beside the driveway.
They called out as loud as they could for Billy’s mom, but no answer returned to them. Except for a few distant sounds of sirens there was only silence. They were trapped in this basement and would be for the rest of this night on into late morning.
Billy’s dad was sobbing and whispering his wife’s name when little Billy snapped him out of it. “We need to pray. Dad, we really need to pray!”
“Yes we do, son. I believe our faith is about to tested.” His dad was still sobbing as he spoke.
Billy’s dad tried to gather himself a bit, but it was difficult to do so. Yes, he was a man of faith. Yes, he was a born-again Christian, but his heart was still full of fear. Fear for his wife and fear for so many others in this wonderful little town who had welcomed his family with love and friendship.
He once again pulled his son toward him and hugged him. “I am not sure what we will find up above us, Billy. I fear our house is gone. But you know that is just fine. I can build it back up easy as pie. What really matters is that you are okay, and we need to pray that your mother is okay as well. I don’t know what I would do without her. We had better pray for our friends and neighbors as well, son.”
Billy and his dad got down on their knees in what was left of their basement and prayed. They prayed for Billy’s mother, for their neighbors, for their church and they even sent up a few flares for Jack and for Puff and Stuff.
“It will be fine, son. God is in control. We must lean on Him no matter what. No matter what!”
They had both fallen into a deep sleep when the sounds of chainsaws and shouting voices awakened them. “Anybody down there?”
“Yes, yes we are here, my son and I! We are okay, but my wife is missing. Would you check the barn, please!” If it is still there.
The barn was still there. The house was gone, but the barn was still there as if nothing had happened. A bunch of good old boys from town sawed that fallen tree to pieces in no time, and then National Guardsmen and a few deputies from the sheriff’s department helped dig Billy and his dad out of the basement.
The damage to the house was incredible. The roof was gone, and all four walls had been turned inside out as if a bomb had been dropped on it. The big oak had also taken out the new GM Saturn Billy’s mom had parked in the driveway. It was crushed like a toy.
Billy’s dad wandered around the barn looking for signs of his wife. The horses were just fine. His Ford Bronco was just fine. Thankfully, he always parked it in the barn. Beyond his property he could see the where the tornado had been. The morning sun had now risen pretty high in the eastern sky, and it did a nice job of illuminating the storm’s pathway. He could see at least four other homes that had been severely damaged, but he had no idea the extent of the damage until he met with Sheriff Burke about an hour later.
“Around two hundred homes are gone and twenty people dead so far. The county hospital is full of injured people, and I am afraid the morgue is filling up as well. So far we have around seventeen folks missing and unaccounted for, and I have put your wife’s name on that list. I am so sorry. They say this is the worst storm to ever hit this part of the state.”
“What about my mom?” Billy asked.
“We will have hundreds of men out looking for the missing, Billy. We have all kinds of volunteers, National Guardsmen and law enforcement officers. I have never seen so many badges in my entire life!”
“What do we do now?” asked Billy’s dad.
“The Feds are already sending disaster aid. They are setting up a row of trailers within a few days down by Sutter’s farm, which was spared. If your insurance doesn’t provide a place for you to stay until a lot of this shakes out, you can line up for one of those. Or perhaps you can spend a few nights with Mrs. Burke and me.”
“Thanks, sheriff. That is very kind of you. We still have our Bronco so we can dig a few things out of the wreckage and head for a motel somewhere, or perhaps we can bunk out in the barn until you find my wife. Right now though I want to get to our church.”
“Um, which church is that?” asked Sheriff Burke.
“Antioch Baptist,” Billy answered.
“I am afraid it is gone.”
Our church is gone too. Billy almost started crying again, but he held back his tears. He did not want to weep like a little boy in front of Sheriff Burke.
“Listen,” added the sheriff, “the Red Cross and Salvation Army as well as Feed the Children are already setting up in the middle of town. They have blankets and clothes and hot meals. Get on down there and get something to eat. There will be no power or cell phone service around here for a few days so keep checking in with my office.”
The first thing they did was start up the Bronco and take a ride. It was amazing. You could drive down the main road and everything would look normal for a while, and then all of a sudden there was a path of total destruction. So many homes and farms and even a good part of downtown had been flattened like a pancake. Business establishments of all kinds were now piles of rubble.
It was hard getting through roadblocks, but being a storm victim carried weight with the authorities. His dad had dug out a beautiful picture of his mom, and he was showing it to everyone. In the coming days he and Billy would be busy helping lots of people, while at the same time praying with them and for them. But first they took the sheriff’s advice and went to the Feed the Children headquarters on the west side of town. Right beside a truck where they were serving hot meals there was a huge Colts logo. To Billy’s surprise there were actually several Indianapolis Colt players handing out food.
As they got closer they noticed one rather tall man talking to a bunch of kids and handing them bottles of water. Billy could not believe it. It was Peyton Manning! Billy ran right up to him and extended his hand.
“Hello, Mr. Manning. I am Billy. You are my favorite player in the whole world. We lost our home and we cannot find my mom and my dog and I even lost all of my Colts stuff and—”
The big quarterback knelt down by Billy and gave him a big hug.
“I am so sorry, Billy. But I promise you that God has a plan and a reason for all of this. I’ll be praying hard that they find your mom.”
Through his tears Billy said, “Then I can get back to football because, you see, I am a wide receiver, and someday I may play for the Colts too.”
Billy’s dad walked up to the star quarterback and shook his hand. “Thank you,” he said.
“Not a problem. We just want to try to help out some. Has the boy ever been to a Colts game?”
“No, he hasn’t.”
“Well here, take this card. When things settle down, I want you to call this number. You can be my guest next season.”
“That is very kind of you. Thanks for being here.”
“Your wife is in my prayers, sir.”
After a hot meal served up by Feed the Children and some of the Indianapolis Colts, Billy, and his father drove to the church.
The red brick building of the Antioch Baptist church was gone. A few piles of rubble were all that was left. There was nobody there at the moment, but over the next few days many able bodied men, including Billy’s dad, would be helping to clean up the debris.
A handmade sign hung on what was left of a doorframe simply read: Service this Sunday morning at 11 a.m. Please attend. Rev. Hatcher.
“Thank you, Lord,” Billy whispered.
Next, they drove to Sheriff Burke’s office to fill out paperwork. There was still no word on Billy’s mom. Then they took a trip to the local State Farm Insurance office. That place was really busy, however, it seemed that plenty of extra folks were on hand to help the victims of the storm.
After even more paperwork and assurances from the agent in charge that everything was covered, they drove about sixty miles to a Days Inn that had a room available. After a stop at Wal-mart for snacks and some extra clothes, Billy and his dad knelt beside their rented twin beds and asked the Lord to bless all of those who were hurting—and to please bring Billy’s mom back home.
It took a while for Billy to fall asleep. There was so much to process, and he was still just a boy. He had lost his home, and his church had blown down. His mom and dog were who knows where, and he had actually met Peyton Manning. Even with all of that Billy fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
Billy’s dad stared at the ceiling for a long while as well. What would he ever do without his precious wife? How could he even get through a day without her being at his side? They had met in college, and for him it had been love at first sight. It took another few days for her, but she had eventually come around. The thought made him smile. Oh God, please bring her back to me. Then he also fell into a merciful sleep.
The next several days were somewhat of a blur to Billy Lyons and his dad. Driving out of town was certainly easier than driving back home. The roads were full of electric service trucks from all over the state as well as Guardsmen and emergency vehicles. Adding to the chaos and congestion were radio and TV people from everywhere. CNN and Fox News were even here. It was rumored that the president of the United States was coming for a visit.
They managed to evade all of this and made their way on through town. The Feed the Children truck was still there, but it seemed the Colts players were now gone. Billy wondered if they were ever there. That part seemed a lot like one of his crazy dreams. They made their way through the same roadblocks and headed toward what had been their home.
While they were sifting through the rubble, Billy’s dad’s cell phone chirped. It was a goofy bird sound that sounded quite distinctive. The caller ID screen indicated the sheriff’s office.
“Hello, sheriff.”
“Just checking on you. Cell phone service seems to be back in order. Listen, I took the liberty to um, well, check the morgue and check through the entire hospital, and there is no sign of your wife anywhere.”
‘Thank you very much, Sheriff Burke. That was a very nice thing for you to do.”
“I could say that it is my job, but you know it is more than that. We have a lot to deal with around here, my friend, but we are still looking for her. You boys okay?”
“We are fine.”
“Well, call me if you need me.”
Click. Just like that, Sheriff Burke was gone.
There was a forty-acre pasture behind the Lyons home and barn, and Billy decided to take a long walk while his dad and other men were working on the mess. There was tons of stuff out there, and he wanted to see it all up close.
There were pieces of pink and yellow insulation everywhere. He found clothing and pieces of siding and hunks of roof wherever he walked. He actually found someone’s checkbook. He didn’t know the person, but he decided to save it and try to get it back to him.
As he walked the entire distance of the field he noticed something blue on a lower branch of a tree. He ran to it and discovered his Colts fleece blanket suspended there. He jumped up and pulled it down and wrapped it around his shoulders. It was then that he was struck with an agonizing and almost obvious thought. His mother had been taken up in the storm and so had Jack. This awful tornado plucked up his mom and his dog, just like in some weird storybook thing, and took them somewhere and let them go—just like his blanket and the man’s checkbook.
He sat down by the tree and wept and prayed for his precious mother.
By Sunday the county had restored power and things had settled down. Bulldozers could be heard everywhere. Cleanup was well on its way, and soon the rebuilding process would begin. Everywhere you looked it seemed that people had accepted what happened and were more than ready to get to work and put the awful twister behind them.
Hundreds of people gathered at the Antioch Baptist Church on Sunday morning. They sat in folding chairs beneath a big tree about twenty-five yards from where the church had stood. All the rubble was gone, although the huge white steeple still rested on its side in the parking lot. Billy and his father sat side by side about halfway back from the small lectern, where the ministry of music was now leading the congregation in singing that great hymn, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.”
There was no piano or organ, but several boys not much older than Billy were strumming on acoustic guitars. It was a beautiful sound. It was the sound of God’s people honoring and praising Him even in the face of immeasurable pain and sacrifice and loss. Everyone sitting there knew in their hearts that they were very blessed just to be there. Many of their friends were not.
It was a humbling and blessed time for this congregation, and as Reverend Hatcher said in his sermon, “A church is not made of brick and mortar. That is just a building. The heart of the church is its people. A church is made up of souls who belong to God, not just a bunch of stones and a steeple. A house is rubble to begin with if God doesn’t dwell in its inhabitants. For a house to be a home there has to be love and, my friends, I assure you that there is no greater love today than the love of our Savior Jesus Christ.
“We must lean on His everlasting arms in this time of challenge and loss. We must pray as Jesus did in the garden, not my will be done but Thy will be done. Then we must learn to accept the fact that His will may be different than our own. Therefore our faith will be tested, yet rewarded when we indeed learn to lay all of our burdens and cares upon Him.
“He has told us in His word to do so and, my friends, this is what we must do. Lean upon Him! Give Him your heart. We will rebuild this church and we will rebuild our homes. Our lost loved ones will be missed, but because of Christ and His death on the cross, we have the assurance that we will see them once again.”
The sermon was interrupted by the sound of Sheriff Burke’s car as he pulled into the lot and just touched his siren for a second. The sheriff jumped out of the car and in one sweeping motion opened up the back door. Billy turned to see what the commotion was all about. He could not believe what his eyes told him. With a little help from Sheriff Burke, a woman rose shakily from the back seat of the patrol car.
It was his mother!
“Mom!” He cried as he ran to her outstretched arms. She gathered him up in a warm mother’s embrace and rocked him back and forth. Her face was scratched up, and she had bandages on both arms and both legs. But nothing was broken and she looked just . . .
“Beautiful.” Billy’s dad said as he appeared behind him. “The most beautiful sight I have ever seen.”
She reached out one arm and gathered her husband in as well. “My sweet darling, I love you so much,” she whispered.
“I love you. I just knew that God would bring you back to me.”
There was much praise and rejoicing in that little makeshift church on that Sunday morning. There was singing and dinner on the grounds and at the end of the day nobody wanted to leave. These fine folks, who had been through so much in the past week, had just seen a miracle, and it gave them all the faith and courage to lick their wounds and get on with their lives.
Billy’s mom explained her story. She had seen the tornado descend upon their home and remembered running. It was a blur, but she must have been pulled up and into the storm. All she remembered was a loud roar and being lifted up into the air. She awoke in old man Braddock’s farmhouse with Mrs. Braddock looking after her.
“They had no power or phone, and they are elderly so there was no way I could get word to you. When the sheriff got around to checking on them he found me there. I am so thankful to have survived that awful thing. I never stopped praying my heart out for you both.”
“We prayed our hearts out for you too, Mom.” Billy said. “And by the way, the barn came out okay, and old Puff and Stuff are just fine.
“You’ll be back riding in no time,” Billy’s father said. He was not able to wipe that happy grin off his face.
Just then Sheriff Burke came over.
“I have more great news. The county animal shelter just called. It seems they have found a big yellow setter with a collar that says ‘Jack’ just as big and bold as can be.”
Everyone cheered as the Lyons family climbed into the Ford Bronco and headed out of the parking lot. Billy’s dad drove over to their property and slowly pulled the old Bronco into the driveway. The Lyons family sat there in silence for a long while and gazed upon the mess that was once their home.
“You can rebuild it, huh, Dad?” Billy asked.
“Yes I can, son. Better than it was!”
He put his arm around his wife and held her close.
“My poor car,” she said.
“We will get another one, my dear.”
“What’s next?” she asked.
“Well, we check on Puff and Stuff, and then drive over and pick up Jack. Then we head for the Days Inn, where we now reside,” he chuckled.
“No, I mean what is next, overall? I mean, how long before we have a home again?”
“Well, it is like Reverend Hatcher said earlier. We will always have a home right here in our hearts. We are so very blessed, for we have each other. But to really answer your question, sweet wife, my plan is to have us up and running again before fall. Then, we have a Colts game to go to!”
“Yeah!” said Billy.
The end? No way! A beginning!
A family story about a storm, faith, and miracles
By: Joseph S. Bonsall
For my precious and loving daughters, Jennifer and Sabrina.
Also, for the lost—may they be found!
Authors Note
Severe weather is a term that we have become all too familiar with. Instead of old-fashioned thunderstorms and such, there has been a rash of horrific tornadoes belting a good part of our nation over the last several years. Entire cities have been ravaged and many have lost their lives to these freaks of nature.
I wrote Billy’s Tornado after such a storm rolled through Macon County, Tennessee a few years ago. The beast touched down just south of Lafayette, TN and proceeded to rip a path of destruction for almost 15 miles before it dissipated and went away to wherever such a thing goes after the deed is done.
Just a year before, a deadly storm swept through Sumner County in Middle Tennessee and devastated my singing partner William Lee Golden’s home while he and his wife and son gathered in a downstairs bathroom praying for God to spare their lives… which He did. So many others were not as fortunate.
Our good friends Al and Chris Zar lost everything in the great Joplin tornado a year ago and more recently tornadoes have hit hard in Georgia, Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, and even Branson, Missouri.
But back to Macon County and Billy’s Tornado. My wife Mary and I own a farm on the Tennessee/Kentucky line about 14 miles north of Lafayette, so after the storm we drove up there to check our property. We passed mile after mile of destruction that included the complete devastation of the Antioch Baptist Church (which I allude to in Billy’s Tornado).
My farm was okay. Some downed trees, a piece of an upper barn was torn away, and a lot of fencing was destroyed, but damage was minimal. In my fields, though, lay a bunch of debris. Little pieces of people’s lives scattered around like toys. I found all kinds of things including a checkbook that belonged to a fellow who lived 12 miles away. I later learned that a good friend of mine lost his daughter and granddaughter when the tornado ripped their home to shreds.
You always want to DO something. The Oak Ridge Boys have been a part of two tornado benefit concerts. One for Sumner and one for Macon County, and I would guess there might be more in our future. Mary and I helped to rebuild the Antioch church and we also gave to a foundation honoring my friend’s very personal loss.
After seeing the aftermath up close I wrote Billy’s Tornado and was honored that Sheaf House Publishers included it in my book From My Perspective—which brings me to the Taneyhills Community Library in Branson. After the recent tornado damaged much of this All American City where the Oak Ridge Boys play on a regular basis, my book publisher called. They wanted to do something to help and agreed to donate profits from sales of my book for a month to help out in Branson. I threw in my royalties, and we both decided that the rebuilding the library was a good idea. Literacy is very important to me and a library stands as a beacon of literacy. When I was a kid growing up in Philadelphia I NEVER bought one book. I always went to the library and so many people still do that today. So it all seemed like a good idea.
I hope folks will buy a copy of From My Perspective for the cause, and I hope they enjoy Billy’s Tornado, the story of a family whose faith is tested by a devastating tornado that disrupts their lives in every way possible. Sound familiar?
Unfortunately… the answer is yes!
~ Joe Bonsall
March 15, 2012
Billy’s Tornado
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory, which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18
Little Billy Lyons had been fast asleep in his bed just moments before a huge train seemed to rumble right on through his house. An evil train that would destroy almost every single thing he and his family owned. One would certainly think there was a certain amount of safety in being inside one’s own room, nestled deep within one’s Indianapolis Colts oversized fleece blanket. But on this night of nights very few were safe from the thunder and utter chaos that seemed to descend from the sky like some sort of monster. It was, in fact, a terrible storm that would change the lives of the Lyons family forever.
Billy and his mom and dad had moved to the Midwest from California last year, and everything seemed to be working out well for the Lyons family. Billy’s dad was a construction engineer, and it was not hard for him to latch onto a new and good-paying job. The world was growing every day, and there was always a need for a man who knew how to build things.
Billy’s mom was a pre-school teacher, and the Antioch Baptist Church had a great pre-school program where she fit in immediately. The slower-paced lifestyle was a welcome change from the hectic and traffic-ridden area of the country where the Lyons family had lived before. Besides all that, his mom was especially tired of forest fires, mudslides, and earthquakes. Getting out of southern California just seemed like a good idea.
Their timing was great as well from a financial standpoint. They were able to sell their modest home in California and build a much nicer, two story home here—and still have money left over to put away for Billy’s future and perhaps a few extras. Dad still drove his old Ford Bronco, but mom ended up with a new GM Saturn and just loved it.
I guess they never really put much thought into a possible tornado. In fact, a tornado never even crossed their mind. It had been such a good day too, especially for Billy. The sun was shining brightly and the weather seemed really warm for this time of the year. Billy was able to wear the Indianapolis Colts windbreaker he had received for Christmas for the very first time, and he showed it off to all of his classmates with pride.
He also brought home a great report card, and his mom and dad were very proud of him. All A’s and just one C in math, but Billy promised he would do better on that one. (Although he really wasn’t sure he could. Math just seemed so hard for him.) His dad told him that it would get even harder as he progressed to middle school and high school—and eventually college. That thought almost made him sick on his stomach because in his mind all mathematics pretty much sucked!Besides, what did math have to do with football?
Billy loved football. His room was adorned with all kinds of Colts stuff. In fact, one whole wall was devoted to a life-sized Peyton Manning that just stuck there like magic. The giant Peyton was a Christmas gift from his dad. It stretched from floorboard to ceiling and Billy loved it. He also adored the Colts, and he was not even sure why.
There was no NFL team in Southern California to cheer for, and he didn’t like the Raiders or Forty-Niners much. But somehow he took a liking to the Colts, and now they owned his complete love and dedication. They rewarded Billy by actually winning the Super Bowl over da Bears, which was very cool.
Billy was not a very big boy, but he had a ton of heart. He had played Little League football for several years now, and he was a darn good player. He prayed every night that God would help him to grow bigger and stronger so that one day he could play for Indianapolis.
On the night the train came Billy was dreaming that he was on an NFL practice field and, as a wide receiver, he was running pass routes. Peyton Manning would drop back from behind the center and hit him right on the numbers in full stride no matter which way he would cut and run. Let’s face it, man, Peyton is the best quarterback who has ever lived. Oh, Tom Brady was pretty good too, and there were some other guys coming along like Leinart and Young. But Peyton just had to be . . .
“BILLY! Wake up, son! I mean RIGHT NOW!”
Billy was already in the wake-up mode because he could hear Jack barking somewhere outside. That was strange because usually at night Jack was asleep at the foot of the bed. Jack was a three-year-old Irish setter that made the trip to the Midwest with the Lyons family.
Man, that trip was a doozy, thought Billy. Jack actually peed inside the Bronco once and Mom threatened to throw him out the window in some town named Tucumcari, New Mexico. Dad laughed for a hundred miles.
Dad was not laughing now!
“Come on, son, put some clothes on and come with me. There is a big storm heading this way.”
Billy jumped out of bed and started to quickly take off his pajamas and get into his jeans and sweatshirt. He was shaking a bit. The tone of his dad’s voice actually scared him. A storm was coming?
“Where is Mom?” Billy asked as he tied up his sneakers.
“She is looking after the horses. Let’s roll, pal. She will meet us in the basement.”
Moments before, his dad had been sitting in the living room watching television. Like most men he was not content to stay committed to a single channel for very long. With the remote control in one hand and a hot cup of his wife’s special chamomile tea in the other, he would search through a good mix of news, sports, and movies. Billy’s mom, reading a new Max Lucado inspirational book while nestled in her favorite chair by her favorite lamp, just couldn’t’ take it anymore.
“Honey, will you please stop it? You are driving me nuts with that thing.”
“Not a long drive either!” he answered with a laugh.
She scowled at him, but he knew she really wasn’t mad. He knew how to push the envelope, and he also knew when to put on the brakes. That was called marriage and he did, in fact, love and adore this wonderful woman.
By then a pretty decent rainstorm was going on outside, and the wind was starting to have a bit of a kick to it. “Put on the local news or weather, hon,” she said. “I don’t like the sound of that storm out there.”
Billy’s dad flipped to the local news station. There before them was the storm tracker radar showing red and purple colors all over the screen. It seemed a huge front was coming through very quickly and tornado warnings were in effect for--
Just then loud sirens began to wail from nearby, as the weather person was giving instructions. “This is not a watch—it is a warning, which means that tornadoes have been spotted in the following counties. You are urged to go to your basement immediately. Stay away from glass. Do not go outside!”
Billy’s dad was on it. “I will grab a flashlight and go get Billy!”
His mom headed for the side door just as Jack came bounding down the stairs from Billy’s room. Barking loudly, he followed her out the door.
“Where are you going?” Billy’s dad yelled frantically.
“I want to secure the horses. I will meet you in the basement!”
“But, honey—”
“I will be fine. I have to look after Puff and Stuff. Get Billy downstairs. I will be there in a shake.”
One of the real perks of owning a bit of land was being able to own two beautiful horses. Billy’s mom had loved horses from the time she was little, but she grew up in a city where there was no room to accommodate her dream. With Jack at her side, she ran the fifty yards to the barn and opened up the big door. Puff and Stuff were each in their stalls, and she just wanted to make sure that--
The tornado came without warning. She heard the deafening roar behind her as she opened the barn door. She turned around, and what she saw through the pouring rain was like a nightmare. This thing was right above her house and churning it to pieces. She ran back towards the house screaming. Jack was still right on her heels barking loudly.
Billy’s dad had scooped him up in his arms and carried him down to the basement. There was a full bathroom, surrounded by a cinderblock wall. His dad would come home from work on some nights, enter the basement through a side entrance at the bottom of a stairwell, and then shower down here before going upstairs.
As they entered the little protected room Billy asked, “Where is Mom?”
“She will be here in a minute, son. That woman and her horses—”
At that very moment in time and space, the train came. At least that is what it sounded like. It was a very loud train. Louder than anything Billy or his father had ever heard.
Billy’s dad grabbed him and held him close. He sat down hard and leaned against a wall while all hell broke loose above them. Breaking glass, cracking wood, falling trees. It sounded like the end of the world, and perhaps it was. The pressure behind their eyes and inside their ears was maddening. It felt like the tornado was on them for hours when, in fact, it had only been about thirty seconds. Then a complete and eerie silence enveloped them.
Billy and his dad began to slowly pick up the sounds of crying and sobbing as their hearing returned, and quickly realized the sounds were actually coming from themselves. Billy’s dad stood up and looked around the basement. There were two windows in the basement, and they were both shattered and sort of caved in. The stairwell that lead to the upstairs was also caved in so there was no way to get back up into the house. The outside stairwell that led up and out of the basement was covered up in debris, including what was left of a huge oak tree that had stood like a huge sentinel right beside the driveway.
They called out as loud as they could for Billy’s mom, but no answer returned to them. Except for a few distant sounds of sirens there was only silence. They were trapped in this basement and would be for the rest of this night on into late morning.
Billy’s dad was sobbing and whispering his wife’s name when little Billy snapped him out of it. “We need to pray. Dad, we really need to pray!”
“Yes we do, son. I believe our faith is about to tested.” His dad was still sobbing as he spoke.
Billy’s dad tried to gather himself a bit, but it was difficult to do so. Yes, he was a man of faith. Yes, he was a born-again Christian, but his heart was still full of fear. Fear for his wife and fear for so many others in this wonderful little town who had welcomed his family with love and friendship.
He once again pulled his son toward him and hugged him. “I am not sure what we will find up above us, Billy. I fear our house is gone. But you know that is just fine. I can build it back up easy as pie. What really matters is that you are okay, and we need to pray that your mother is okay as well. I don’t know what I would do without her. We had better pray for our friends and neighbors as well, son.”
Billy and his dad got down on their knees in what was left of their basement and prayed. They prayed for Billy’s mother, for their neighbors, for their church and they even sent up a few flares for Jack and for Puff and Stuff.
“It will be fine, son. God is in control. We must lean on Him no matter what. No matter what!”
They had both fallen into a deep sleep when the sounds of chainsaws and shouting voices awakened them. “Anybody down there?”
“Yes, yes we are here, my son and I! We are okay, but my wife is missing. Would you check the barn, please!” If it is still there.
The barn was still there. The house was gone, but the barn was still there as if nothing had happened. A bunch of good old boys from town sawed that fallen tree to pieces in no time, and then National Guardsmen and a few deputies from the sheriff’s department helped dig Billy and his dad out of the basement.
The damage to the house was incredible. The roof was gone, and all four walls had been turned inside out as if a bomb had been dropped on it. The big oak had also taken out the new GM Saturn Billy’s mom had parked in the driveway. It was crushed like a toy.
Billy’s dad wandered around the barn looking for signs of his wife. The horses were just fine. His Ford Bronco was just fine. Thankfully, he always parked it in the barn. Beyond his property he could see the where the tornado had been. The morning sun had now risen pretty high in the eastern sky, and it did a nice job of illuminating the storm’s pathway. He could see at least four other homes that had been severely damaged, but he had no idea the extent of the damage until he met with Sheriff Burke about an hour later.
“Around two hundred homes are gone and twenty people dead so far. The county hospital is full of injured people, and I am afraid the morgue is filling up as well. So far we have around seventeen folks missing and unaccounted for, and I have put your wife’s name on that list. I am so sorry. They say this is the worst storm to ever hit this part of the state.”
“What about my mom?” Billy asked.
“We will have hundreds of men out looking for the missing, Billy. We have all kinds of volunteers, National Guardsmen and law enforcement officers. I have never seen so many badges in my entire life!”
“What do we do now?” asked Billy’s dad.
“The Feds are already sending disaster aid. They are setting up a row of trailers within a few days down by Sutter’s farm, which was spared. If your insurance doesn’t provide a place for you to stay until a lot of this shakes out, you can line up for one of those. Or perhaps you can spend a few nights with Mrs. Burke and me.”
“Thanks, sheriff. That is very kind of you. We still have our Bronco so we can dig a few things out of the wreckage and head for a motel somewhere, or perhaps we can bunk out in the barn until you find my wife. Right now though I want to get to our church.”
“Um, which church is that?” asked Sheriff Burke.
“Antioch Baptist,” Billy answered.
“I am afraid it is gone.”
Our church is gone too. Billy almost started crying again, but he held back his tears. He did not want to weep like a little boy in front of Sheriff Burke.
“Listen,” added the sheriff, “the Red Cross and Salvation Army as well as Feed the Children are already setting up in the middle of town. They have blankets and clothes and hot meals. Get on down there and get something to eat. There will be no power or cell phone service around here for a few days so keep checking in with my office.”
The first thing they did was start up the Bronco and take a ride. It was amazing. You could drive down the main road and everything would look normal for a while, and then all of a sudden there was a path of total destruction. So many homes and farms and even a good part of downtown had been flattened like a pancake. Business establishments of all kinds were now piles of rubble.
It was hard getting through roadblocks, but being a storm victim carried weight with the authorities. His dad had dug out a beautiful picture of his mom, and he was showing it to everyone. In the coming days he and Billy would be busy helping lots of people, while at the same time praying with them and for them. But first they took the sheriff’s advice and went to the Feed the Children headquarters on the west side of town. Right beside a truck where they were serving hot meals there was a huge Colts logo. To Billy’s surprise there were actually several Indianapolis Colt players handing out food.
As they got closer they noticed one rather tall man talking to a bunch of kids and handing them bottles of water. Billy could not believe it. It was Peyton Manning! Billy ran right up to him and extended his hand.
“Hello, Mr. Manning. I am Billy. You are my favorite player in the whole world. We lost our home and we cannot find my mom and my dog and I even lost all of my Colts stuff and—”
The big quarterback knelt down by Billy and gave him a big hug.
“I am so sorry, Billy. But I promise you that God has a plan and a reason for all of this. I’ll be praying hard that they find your mom.”
Through his tears Billy said, “Then I can get back to football because, you see, I am a wide receiver, and someday I may play for the Colts too.”
Billy’s dad walked up to the star quarterback and shook his hand. “Thank you,” he said.
“Not a problem. We just want to try to help out some. Has the boy ever been to a Colts game?”
“No, he hasn’t.”
“Well here, take this card. When things settle down, I want you to call this number. You can be my guest next season.”
“That is very kind of you. Thanks for being here.”
“Your wife is in my prayers, sir.”
After a hot meal served up by Feed the Children and some of the Indianapolis Colts, Billy, and his father drove to the church.
The red brick building of the Antioch Baptist church was gone. A few piles of rubble were all that was left. There was nobody there at the moment, but over the next few days many able bodied men, including Billy’s dad, would be helping to clean up the debris.
A handmade sign hung on what was left of a doorframe simply read: Service this Sunday morning at 11 a.m. Please attend. Rev. Hatcher.
“Thank you, Lord,” Billy whispered.
Next, they drove to Sheriff Burke’s office to fill out paperwork. There was still no word on Billy’s mom. Then they took a trip to the local State Farm Insurance office. That place was really busy, however, it seemed that plenty of extra folks were on hand to help the victims of the storm.
After even more paperwork and assurances from the agent in charge that everything was covered, they drove about sixty miles to a Days Inn that had a room available. After a stop at Wal-mart for snacks and some extra clothes, Billy and his dad knelt beside their rented twin beds and asked the Lord to bless all of those who were hurting—and to please bring Billy’s mom back home.
It took a while for Billy to fall asleep. There was so much to process, and he was still just a boy. He had lost his home, and his church had blown down. His mom and dog were who knows where, and he had actually met Peyton Manning. Even with all of that Billy fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
Billy’s dad stared at the ceiling for a long while as well. What would he ever do without his precious wife? How could he even get through a day without her being at his side? They had met in college, and for him it had been love at first sight. It took another few days for her, but she had eventually come around. The thought made him smile. Oh God, please bring her back to me. Then he also fell into a merciful sleep.
The next several days were somewhat of a blur to Billy Lyons and his dad. Driving out of town was certainly easier than driving back home. The roads were full of electric service trucks from all over the state as well as Guardsmen and emergency vehicles. Adding to the chaos and congestion were radio and TV people from everywhere. CNN and Fox News were even here. It was rumored that the president of the United States was coming for a visit.
They managed to evade all of this and made their way on through town. The Feed the Children truck was still there, but it seemed the Colts players were now gone. Billy wondered if they were ever there. That part seemed a lot like one of his crazy dreams. They made their way through the same roadblocks and headed toward what had been their home.
While they were sifting through the rubble, Billy’s dad’s cell phone chirped. It was a goofy bird sound that sounded quite distinctive. The caller ID screen indicated the sheriff’s office.
“Hello, sheriff.”
“Just checking on you. Cell phone service seems to be back in order. Listen, I took the liberty to um, well, check the morgue and check through the entire hospital, and there is no sign of your wife anywhere.”
‘Thank you very much, Sheriff Burke. That was a very nice thing for you to do.”
“I could say that it is my job, but you know it is more than that. We have a lot to deal with around here, my friend, but we are still looking for her. You boys okay?”
“We are fine.”
“Well, call me if you need me.”
Click. Just like that, Sheriff Burke was gone.
There was a forty-acre pasture behind the Lyons home and barn, and Billy decided to take a long walk while his dad and other men were working on the mess. There was tons of stuff out there, and he wanted to see it all up close.
There were pieces of pink and yellow insulation everywhere. He found clothing and pieces of siding and hunks of roof wherever he walked. He actually found someone’s checkbook. He didn’t know the person, but he decided to save it and try to get it back to him.
As he walked the entire distance of the field he noticed something blue on a lower branch of a tree. He ran to it and discovered his Colts fleece blanket suspended there. He jumped up and pulled it down and wrapped it around his shoulders. It was then that he was struck with an agonizing and almost obvious thought. His mother had been taken up in the storm and so had Jack. This awful tornado plucked up his mom and his dog, just like in some weird storybook thing, and took them somewhere and let them go—just like his blanket and the man’s checkbook.
He sat down by the tree and wept and prayed for his precious mother.
By Sunday the county had restored power and things had settled down. Bulldozers could be heard everywhere. Cleanup was well on its way, and soon the rebuilding process would begin. Everywhere you looked it seemed that people had accepted what happened and were more than ready to get to work and put the awful twister behind them.
Hundreds of people gathered at the Antioch Baptist Church on Sunday morning. They sat in folding chairs beneath a big tree about twenty-five yards from where the church had stood. All the rubble was gone, although the huge white steeple still rested on its side in the parking lot. Billy and his father sat side by side about halfway back from the small lectern, where the ministry of music was now leading the congregation in singing that great hymn, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.”
There was no piano or organ, but several boys not much older than Billy were strumming on acoustic guitars. It was a beautiful sound. It was the sound of God’s people honoring and praising Him even in the face of immeasurable pain and sacrifice and loss. Everyone sitting there knew in their hearts that they were very blessed just to be there. Many of their friends were not.
It was a humbling and blessed time for this congregation, and as Reverend Hatcher said in his sermon, “A church is not made of brick and mortar. That is just a building. The heart of the church is its people. A church is made up of souls who belong to God, not just a bunch of stones and a steeple. A house is rubble to begin with if God doesn’t dwell in its inhabitants. For a house to be a home there has to be love and, my friends, I assure you that there is no greater love today than the love of our Savior Jesus Christ.
“We must lean on His everlasting arms in this time of challenge and loss. We must pray as Jesus did in the garden, not my will be done but Thy will be done. Then we must learn to accept the fact that His will may be different than our own. Therefore our faith will be tested, yet rewarded when we indeed learn to lay all of our burdens and cares upon Him.
“He has told us in His word to do so and, my friends, this is what we must do. Lean upon Him! Give Him your heart. We will rebuild this church and we will rebuild our homes. Our lost loved ones will be missed, but because of Christ and His death on the cross, we have the assurance that we will see them once again.”
The sermon was interrupted by the sound of Sheriff Burke’s car as he pulled into the lot and just touched his siren for a second. The sheriff jumped out of the car and in one sweeping motion opened up the back door. Billy turned to see what the commotion was all about. He could not believe what his eyes told him. With a little help from Sheriff Burke, a woman rose shakily from the back seat of the patrol car.
It was his mother!
“Mom!” He cried as he ran to her outstretched arms. She gathered him up in a warm mother’s embrace and rocked him back and forth. Her face was scratched up, and she had bandages on both arms and both legs. But nothing was broken and she looked just . . .
“Beautiful.” Billy’s dad said as he appeared behind him. “The most beautiful sight I have ever seen.”
She reached out one arm and gathered her husband in as well. “My sweet darling, I love you so much,” she whispered.
“I love you. I just knew that God would bring you back to me.”
There was much praise and rejoicing in that little makeshift church on that Sunday morning. There was singing and dinner on the grounds and at the end of the day nobody wanted to leave. These fine folks, who had been through so much in the past week, had just seen a miracle, and it gave them all the faith and courage to lick their wounds and get on with their lives.
Billy’s mom explained her story. She had seen the tornado descend upon their home and remembered running. It was a blur, but she must have been pulled up and into the storm. All she remembered was a loud roar and being lifted up into the air. She awoke in old man Braddock’s farmhouse with Mrs. Braddock looking after her.
“They had no power or phone, and they are elderly so there was no way I could get word to you. When the sheriff got around to checking on them he found me there. I am so thankful to have survived that awful thing. I never stopped praying my heart out for you both.”
“We prayed our hearts out for you too, Mom.” Billy said. “And by the way, the barn came out okay, and old Puff and Stuff are just fine.
“You’ll be back riding in no time,” Billy’s father said. He was not able to wipe that happy grin off his face.
Just then Sheriff Burke came over.
“I have more great news. The county animal shelter just called. It seems they have found a big yellow setter with a collar that says ‘Jack’ just as big and bold as can be.”
Everyone cheered as the Lyons family climbed into the Ford Bronco and headed out of the parking lot. Billy’s dad drove over to their property and slowly pulled the old Bronco into the driveway. The Lyons family sat there in silence for a long while and gazed upon the mess that was once their home.
“You can rebuild it, huh, Dad?” Billy asked.
“Yes I can, son. Better than it was!”
He put his arm around his wife and held her close.
“My poor car,” she said.
“We will get another one, my dear.”
“What’s next?” she asked.
“Well, we check on Puff and Stuff, and then drive over and pick up Jack. Then we head for the Days Inn, where we now reside,” he chuckled.
“No, I mean what is next, overall? I mean, how long before we have a home again?”
“Well, it is like Reverend Hatcher said earlier. We will always have a home right here in our hearts. We are so very blessed, for we have each other. But to really answer your question, sweet wife, my plan is to have us up and running again before fall. Then, we have a Colts game to go to!”
“Yeah!” said Billy.
The end? No way! A beginning!
Order Now to Benefit Taneyhills Community Library in Branson!
Photo courtesy of Branson resident Connie Foster Carter
From My Perspective
Hardcover with dust jacket, 320 pp.
Retail: $18.99
Hardcover with dust jacket, 320 pp.
Retail: $18.99
From My Perspective is a collection of commentaries written by Joseph S. Bonsall, tenor and songwriter for the legendary Oak Ridge Boys, on subjects ranging from banjos to barn swallows. Each is written in Joe’s energetic, straightforward, and engaging style. He shares moments with celebrity friends, such as the late Johnny Cash and Dottie Rambo, and relates stories from his thirty-five years on the road with the Boys. A bonus short story by the author is included at the end. No matter what the subject, Joe’s entertaining reflections on life, music, patriotism, and God are often witty, sometimes sentimental, and always insightful.
$
18.99
