Soap Box

 As I sit here, in Decatur, Alabama on an unusually cool late October Saturday morning, wondering if the rain will hold off for our outdoor show tonight, the first day of being 81 seems no different than my last day of being 80.

I have just finished a book promotion tour for my memoir, 'Never Look at the Empty Seats,' in Dallas and New York City, where it seemed that I was referred to being something akin to an elder statesman in more than one interview, so I guess the word is out.

The norm for late life birthdays is to remark, �Where did the time go?� And although it does seem that these eight decades have passed rather hurriedly, it just so happens I know where the time went and if I were able to recall and relate all the memories, you folks reading this would know where it went, too.

I have been alive at a wondrous time, I�ve seen this nation bound together by a strong brand of patriotism during the Second World War, I�ve seen the advent of wonder drugs, jet airplanes, television, space travel and the digital age.

I�ve lived through the rebirth of the State of Israel, the redrawing of international lines, the renaming of nations, the defeat of murderous dictators and the sinister introduction of nuclear power and the ramifications of its awesome and dreadful use.

To say I�ve lived a lot in the last 81years would be a gross understatement.

I�ve stood on the polar ice cap, the 38th parallel, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the Berlin Wall, rounded up cattle in the Big Bend in Texas, pulled huge Salmon out of the Kenai river in Alaska, rode on a real Eskimo dog sled, rode snowmobiles through the breathtaking Rocky Mountain back country and survived a day in a Juarez, Mexico jail.

I was baptized in the Jordan River, shot at in a helicopter in Iraq, bucked off a cow horse in Nevada, flown in the Concorde, beheld the timeless beauty of the Mona Lisa and the ugly remnants of man�s inhumanity to man in Kosovo.

I have seen so many of my dreams come true, so many of the desires of my heart fulfilled, God has blessed me, protected me, lead me to places I could have only dreamed about
in my younger years.

I have been married to the girl of my dreams for fifty-three years, have a son who has been a joy to me for over a half century and I�m surrounded by trusted friends of long standing.

I live in the exact spot on the planet that I want to live on and say, truthfully by the way, that when I move away from Twin Pines Ranch I want to go to Heaven, as that�s the only other place I�d rather live.

I�ve made my living in a business I truly love for almost sixty years now and still maintain a sense of creativity and expectation.

I still get excited about walking on stage and entertaining folks with the music I�ve created and have the best band I�ve ever had, all excellent musicians and a joy to be on stage with.

I�ve had the thrill of being invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry and the almost unimaginable honor of being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

I�ve received multi-platinum albums, CMA and ACM awards, a Grammy, Dove Awards, the keys to numerous cities and - almost unbelievably - the William F. Buckley Jr. Award for Media Excellence.

So, you see, if you start wondering where the years have gone, stop and pull the memories out one by one, and you�ll see that the time really didn�t go by quite as swiftly as you thought.

I am grateful for the 81 years my Heavenly Father has given me so far, and more grateful for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ and the salvation He gives to all who believe.

I don�t know how many years are in my future, but I do know that, few or many I intend to wring every drop of juice out of every one of them.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops, our police and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

� Charlie Daniels

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