December 4, 2019
Hi Gang:
Sorry we’re a couple of days late with our December newsletter, but there was a special announcement made in Nashville at noon today, and I wanted to be able to share the news with you.
The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum has announced their upcoming exhibits for 2020, and one of them is going to be an exhibit honoring yours truly!
Many of you have been asking me for years if such an exhibit would ever be opened, and I’m thrilled to tell you that it will…and the big day is set for November 20, 2020. I am told that the exhibit will run through September, 2021. Martina McBride and Chris Stapleton will also be honored next year.
It’s too early for me to know just what the exhibit will contain, but I’ve been told that folks from the Museum will be coming soon to invade my closets, my storerooms, my scrapbooks, photo albums, etc., to begin sorting out and putting together an exhibit that will speak to my 60-plus years as both a songwriter and a performer in country music. I’ll share more details as they become available, and only hope that a whole bunch of you will be able to come to Nashville and see my exhibit for yourselves. After all, if it weren’t for you…the fans…there would be no exhibit to celebrate.
When the Museum asked for a comment from me, I told them in essence that I grew up dreaming of my ball glove being on display someday in the Baseball Hall of Fame…but that having my musical instruments and costumes and song lyrics on display in the Country Music Hall of Fame will fulfill an even bigger dream. It’s hard to believe that it’s actually coming true!
Slowing down and changing the subject a bit, I hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to spend it with the special people in your life. My day was a bit unorthodox, but no less wonderful.
My grandson, Gabe, had been in the hospital all week, and was only discharged on Thanksgiving morning. Our family had planned to celebrate at his parents’ house, but when things turned out the way they did, I reserved us a private room at a wonderful Nashville area restaurant, and they fed us a family-styleThanksgiving feast instead. Everyone except Gabe and his mom, Beth, were there, and even Beth joined us later for hot cider by the fire at my daughter, Jenni’s, house. We celebrated not only Thanksgiving but granddaughter, Rae’s birthday, and it was well after dark before we all went home. Gabe is slowly improving, and went back to school for a few hours this week.
I will be going into the hospital myself on Monday Dec. 9th for an out-patient procedure that, hopefully, will be easy. They tell me it’s nothing to worry about, but I’ve learned over the years that “minor surgery” is that which is performed on somebody else! I would appreciate your positive thoughts and whispered prayers.
I plan to spend the Christmas season at home surrounded by family and friends…and I can think of nowhere I’d rather be. I hope your Christmas is merry and bright and, again, that you’ll get to share it with those who mean the most in your life. Enjoy…and we’ll see you back here in 2020. It promises to be quite an exciting New Year.
December 5, 2019 @ 11:14 am
Prayers for your grandson, your family and you.
December 4, 2019 @ 6:18 pm
So glad your family got to be together for Thanksgiving. We are so blessed and have so much to be thankful for. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.