When my Mother suggested a family get together in Fillmore for the Fourth of July, I got very excited about getting back to my home town, seeing my family, showing my son where I grew up and went to school and thought it would be an excellent opportunity to get our 1949 Studebaker father-son project on the road for its first real road trip outside our home in the Phoenix valley and participate in the 2012 Sespe Creek Car Show and Chili Cook-Off.

I've been to dozens and dozens of car shows over the years. This however was the farthest I've travelled to show a vehicle and the first that my son travelled with me outside of Phoenix. While we worked tirelessly preparing in the weeks and days preceding the trip, we had no idea of the challenges we'd face. It took 13 ½ hours to travel 496 miles to get to Fillmore.

We shared the story of our journey with many that stopped by to check out our beloved truck at the car show, and the response was amazing to us both. We experienced more kindness and generosity from the people of Fillmore than either of us thought was possible. Thanks for the parts, the extra tools, well-wishes and road snacks. The trip home was even more challenging - 29 hours of travel and repair time to get the truck and ourselves back home to Mesa, Arizona.

For me, this turned into a lesson for my son that you can do anything if you believe you can and if you want it badly enough. For my son, this was a trip that taught him about the overwhelming kindness and generosity of friends, family and strangers, the importance of resourcefulness, and what "quitting is not an option" really means. Your kind words, well wishes and generosity fueled our desire to make it home under our own power. And we did.

As for the car show, we did not win an award; we did not win any raffle prizes; we were not even mentioned. However, we left Fillmore with so much more - We left with full hearts and renewed faith in the goodness and generosity of people. Thank you, Fillmore.

Jeffrey Ellison
Fillmore High School, Class of 1984