Hi Gang:

Funny the things a person thinks about on his or her birthday.

First thing I thought of this morning when I woke up was, "Thank you, Lord. Thank you for letting me live for all these years. And thank you for blessing my life with children, grandchildren, success in my career, comfort in my home, and friends in my life."

It's been quite a ride.

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And then I got to thinking about my mom and dad and wondering what was going through their minds on the morning of November 1, 1937. I was their first child. Were they nervous? Scared? Were they excited? I know it was a Monday and that I came into this world at 11:37 a.m., but I don't remember ever asking them if it was a sunny day....or cold...or if mom had an easy delivery.

I do know that being born back then on the day after Halloween had its downside. Dad often laughed about going out to get in the car before daylight and finding his windshield had been "soaped" and a couple of tires on his car were flat. I think the goblins were more interested in "tricks" than "treats" back then. He used to grin and tell me that I could have very easily been one of those "taxicab babies."

Mom lived to be 89-years old, and dad lived to be 92. My only sister, who was born four-and-a-half years later, died at age 64. I look up from my computer screen and see a picture of the four of us taken on Mom's 60th birthday. Everybody looks so happy...and we were. But I am the only one left and I wonder why.

Thank you for all your well-wishes today. The e-mails and text messages started coming in droves not long after midnight. I'm very blessed to have so many friends and fans who care. I wonder how many more birthdays, if any, I will be lucky enough to have. I hope there will be many.

But for now, I'm grateful for this one. It's a bright, sunshiny day in Nashville, and I intend to enjoy it to the fullest.

Thanks again, Lord, and God bless us all.

"Still"....