Soap Box

It’s hard to believe that we’re just a few weeks away from the one-year anniversary of dad’s “changing addresses” – thank you, my spiritual big brother, Bill Wolfenbarger, for the use of that term.

It’s been a doozy of a year, dealing with the aftermath of losing dad, the lingering effects of the pandemic and how that has impacted what we’ve been trying to do business-wise, and the “sadiversaries” that have popped up over the last 11 months.

This upcoming “sadiversary” is the precursor to the biggest one of all, the first Father’s Day without dad in my life, then the one-year anniversary is just around the corner.

I know I’ll always have the memories of over 55 years of him being here, but It does make me feel a little melancholy knowing that previously, even if he was on the road and not home, I knew I would talk to him on Father’s Day, and pretty much every day for that matter.

It goes without saying that he was a wonderful father. Even though he traveled a lot, and according to mom, when I was a toddler he had been gone so long one time that I cried because I didn’t remember who he was, but that didn’t last very long.

I remember throwing baseballs with him at our house on Knobdale Rd. in Donelson. I actually was in that area recently and tried to find the house, but I couldn’t. 

My first memories are in that house, I may have to make another pilgrimage to try to find it soon. 

I remember sometime around 1975 we went to a famed recording studio in Colorado called Caribou Ranch where everybody from Elton John to Chicago to Billy Joel to Amy Grant and way too many others to list here also recorded.

I believe John Denver and Willie Nelson were also there for the recording, but I don’t remember exactly what dad’s involvement was, and I don’t think it was a CDB project we were there for. 

These are so many things I wish I could still ask him, I’ve got a list of things I meant to ask him about, and the list keeps growing from when time to time I find something or am trying to remember or fact-check a detail of something I’m writing about, and my first impulse is to pick up the phone and give him a call.

So, after a quick call to mom, and a little searching online, dad was at Caribou Ranch because his friend and mentor, Bob Johnston, was producing Michael Murphy - later known to cowboy music as Michael Martin Murphy - on an album called ‘Swans Against the Sun.’ 

You learn something new every day.

But I remember it being an amazing trip, and I remember going on a horseback ride with Buddy Red Bow, a Lakota chief who was also a musician and actor who appeared in Young Guns II and a handful of other films throughout the years. Interestingly, in my research, it appears there was a movie loosely based on his life called “Pow Wow Highway.”

I’m going to have to look that one up.

But that’s just one of many, many memories of my dad, and there will be more and more to come, and I’ll continue to share them with you.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this Father’s Day weekend, an interview I did with Michael W. Smith for his TV special, “The Way of the Father,” on TBN will be airing.

The special is based on Michael’s book, “The Way of the Father: Lessons From My Dad, Truth’s About God,” and in addition to memories of his father, in the special he interviews children of men who had an impact on his life, including Franklin Graham and George H.W. Bush’s daughter, Doro Bush Koch, and yours truly. I’m very honored that Michael also chose dad to honor, and we had a great time shooting out at the ranch and our office. Michael is a wonderful, multi-talented and humble man, much like my own father.

As they say, check your local listings, but it starts airing on Friday night.

As often happens, I sit in front of a blank computer screen starting to type things out, and end up someplace completely different than I intended. When I was proofreading and fact-checking dad’s soapboxes, I kinda get the feeling he did the same thing.

One final note.

I've thought a lot about Bill Wolfenbarger's message from his Tuesday night Bible study.

I've been guilty of just saying that "I'm hanging in there," especially after dad's passing. The hole he left is still enormous, but that doesn't change what lies ahead. 

Bill so rightfully pointed out that all of our troubles are temporary, and we've got much, much better things awaiting us, no matter how bad things get here. So, with that in mind, our response to how we are doing should always be more than just "I'm okay," or "I'm hanging in there."

I think from now on, when in times of difficulty - like I've been going through - when I'm asked how I'm doing, the absolute bare minimum response will be something like, "Despite the year I've had, I'm doing quite well." That acknowledges the challenges I've been facing, but at the same time acknowledging that better things lie ahead. Thank you again, Bill, for that reminder.

The good news of the Gospel is, I know I will see dad again.

I love you, dad!

You are missed more than you can possibly know.

Happy Father’s Day in heaven.

Let’s all make the day count!

What do you think?

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

God Bless America!

#BenghaziAintGoingAway #End22

—  Charlie Daniels, Jr.