Happy Birthday to my personal savior

[Rel]

It is that time of year again when presents are opened and turkey is eaten and old relationships are revisited. But too often in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I forget to take a moment to thank the man who has imparted so much wisdom to me over the years. His great works have touched the lives of millions worldwide (and who could forget with all the "WWJD" keychains and bumper stickers, right?). I know that I wouldn't be the man I am today without his guidance.

I speak of course of Jimmy Buffett, born December 25, 1946.

I find his music to be fun, relaxing and occasionally insightful. But it's just a little more than that too. In may ways it is the music that helped me become an adult. My father got me started listening to the man when I was about 16 or 17 and it really gave us something in common at a time when every young man is doing his level best to pull away from the family. Listening to Buffett together as we drove down to Florida for our annual scuba diving trip was kind of the glue that kept us together when my teenage rebelliousness was pulling me away from the family.

He's also the man who has marked so many fun occasions in the lives of my lovely wife and I. Going to the annual Jimmy Buffett concert became an unbreakable tradition for us and we still haven't missed a local show in 14 years. As we've gotten older and accumulated more responsibilities (like having a baby and a job to get up for the next day), it hasn't always been easy to make it there. But we have such fun and it really takes us back to our younger days when we were first in love and first married.

And it is also the music to which I de-stress most often. I'm sure that I'd have found other outlets if Mr. Buffett's music was not available. But there has been many a time that I've left the job feeling frazzled and angry and arrived home in an "Island State of Mind" thanks to Jimmy.

And so with that said, allow me to wish Mr. Buffett a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Birthday. Nobody says it better than him:

Merry Christmas, Alabama (Never Far from Home)
by Jimmy Buffett & Matt Betton

Merry Christmas, Alabama
Merry Christmas, Tennessee
Merry Christmas, Louisiana
To St. Bart's and the Florida Keys

Merry Christmas, Mississippi
Where I started this wild and crazy run
Such a long way from that first birthday
Merry Christmas, Everyone

And Merry Christmas, Colorado
Though far from you all I have roamed
'Tis the season to remember
All the faces and the places that were home

'Tis the season to remember
And to count up all the ports of call I've known
And to thank His mercies tender
For I'm never far from home

Merry Christmas to my saints and guardian angels
Who protect me as I roam
All the faces and the places that were home

Guess my life's moved at near light speed
Since I started this wild and crazy run
Such a long way from that first birthday
Merry Christmas, Everyone

"Tis the season to remember
That we're never far from home

Merry Christmas, Everyone

 

[fett527]

You are a clever one aren't you? Merry Christmas mang.

 

[Bobitron]

I managed a record store and we sold Buffett tickets every summer. I have grown to dislike the man due to the way his fans acted to get good seats alone.

 

[Rel]

You are a clever one aren't you? Merry Christmas mang.

Thanks dude. And the same to you and yours.

I was wanting to see if I could start the thread that would have the highest ever percentage difference between posts and views.

 

[reveal]

Every decision in my life has been influenced, in one way or another, by my personal savior. He, too, fits in the WWJD category. If I'm lucky, I will partake of His wisdom every day for the rest of my life. He leads me where I need to be in times of darkness and sorrow. He makes the happiest moments that much better. In short, He is my light and my soul.

Thank you Big J!

 

[Palskane]

Well, that caught me off guard. Very well done.

 

[Dungannon]

And always remember, "It's 5 O'clock Somewhere".

 

[Wormwood]

Amen, Brother!

/Captain Jack visited early. And often.

 

[Rel]

And always remember, "It's 5 O'clock Somewhere".

I have a bottle opener keychain for this very reason.