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Some Thoughts on Turning 41…
Posted in The Kitchen Sink on Wed, November 03, 2010
(In no particular order or value.)
A good cup of coffee is tough to beat. A bad cup is better than no cup.
Little television news is actually news.
The Oreo is the best cookie ever made.
I can’t sing...at all. When I get to heaven, I want pipes. And wings. I’ll be the singing-est, flying-est angel ever to come out of Jacksonville.
My 13 year old is going through puberty. You could give me all of Bill Gates’ money and I would not go back through it.
I have taken to wearing slippers in the morning. Fleece lined things. I shuffle around.
Soft. Comfy. Like walking on a cloud. I drive my son to school in them. And when I walk in them I sound a lot like my father did when I was a kid.
Aches and pains take longer to go away and I have more of them.
Beer no longer holds the attraction it once held. Nor Scotch. Good red wine does not fall into this category.
There is great value in a good, worn sweater. Mr. Rodgers is not the nut I thought he once was.
The cowboy is one of God’s greatest creations.
Two days ago, I ran a 5:35 mile and didn’t wake up in ICU. I could have run faster. But, now that I’m older, I didn’t feel like I needed to.
Good friends are worth the trouble...and I am not yet the friend I hope to be.
My career has been nothing like I’d imagined, but I wouldn’t trade it for any other.
The Dorito is be the best chip--crunchy-thing ever made.
Good pizza is worth the calories. Bad pizza is not. Only one way to find out.
‘Lonesome Dove’ is the best made-for-TV-movie ever made.
My sons’ smiles are band-aids for my soul.
Youth is wasted on the young.
Bring back ‘The Waltons,’ ‘Little House on the Prairie’ ...and the original ‘Dukes of Hazard.’
If I was shipwrecked on an island with only one thing, it’d be a fingernail clipper...connected to a satellite phone.
My wife’s hand fits really well in mine.
Chocolate is good for you. Anyone who tells you otherwise needs to let their hair down.
Hymns mean more than they used to.
My dog laughs at me every time I pick up her poop. I can see it on her face.
King David is still my favorite writer.
Reading glasses are a good thing.
Did I tell you about my slippers?
Bring back John Wayne.
M&M’s make most everything better.
Take away everything I have, leave me with Christy and the boys and I’m still the richest , most blessed man next to Abraham.
You are still the best writer in the world.
I hope you don’t mind I’m going to use one of your quotes. I will use anything to pass your name (and books) around to my friends.
Happy Birthday, Sir.
p.s. .. Sorry for the “Sir”, you are “a little” younger than I… but I respect the hell out of you :)
Enjoyed reading “Some Thoughts on Turning 41” and M&Ms;make most everything better!
Charles, I love your writing. to me it melts into my soul like warm butter biscuits melt in my mouth. it is a taste of comfort and of home. and I totally dig your list. and nothing beats a good cup of coffee…
I enjoy everything you write. Even your thoughts on turning 41. Thank you for sharing:) Hope you had a wonderful birthday!
Dear Mr. Martin,
The happiest of birthdays to you, writer-man. Loved your list. Love your writing. So glad to read your list of all the wisdom you’ve accumulated in your 41 years-- your humor and zest for the simple things shine through. Keep on enjoying your family. Keep on writing. My family members and friends are going to receive many of your books this Christmas, so thanks for all the great stories.
Happy 41st birthday! (I only have one year on you)
Love, love, love your writing...this blog post was so true in so many ways.
Loved your post! Happy Birthday to one of my favorite authors. I’ve been hooked since reading When Crickets Cry.
Amazing writer. Fun list. My daughter sings...but that won’t help you to sing. She wishes you would come to North Greenville University in Greenville, South Carolina and’do’chapel; she loves your books also. Check out the moccasins at LL Bean. Joe bought a pair there a few years ago and they have been his favorite ‘thing’ in his 40’s (along with coffee, a little shooting on video games, and new Stihl tools). May God richly bless you and your family. Other than becoming a widow, remarrying, and enduring some grueling blended family pains, my 40’s were awesome also.
Wait until 45…
The line about your wife’s hand touches me most. My husband and I will celebrate his birthday tomorrow with an Edwin McCain concert in Newberry, SC.
I used “Chasing Fireflies” in a devotion I gave last week…
the part where Unc gives him the Mason jar and the speech about fireflies. Psalm 139:14
I have read all your books. I feel I have experienced and shared many of the same emotions. It is greatly appreciated to read such wholesome literature. Please continue your writing and not for fame but for continbutiond to your fans. Thank you.
WoW! I so enjoyed your “musings”. I pray you have a very Happy Birthday spent with friends and family. Have you ever tried M&M;’s and popcorn? It is a winning combination. Do you wear your new slippers with your new jeans? I believe you are such a gifted writer because you have your priorities in order. I loved my 40’s and now I am loving my 70’s. Spending time with my best friend of 51 years @ the beach reading a Charles Martin book........................Priceless! God Bless You!
Happy Birthday, Charles. So good to see a new blog post from you. I discovered your books this summer past and have been working my way through them, enjoying each one, being challenged (as a writer and a believer) by each one in different ways. Your stories and themes and characters have great staying power with this reader.
I celebrated my 42nd birthday on Oct 31, and I can say Amen to many of your thoughts on turning 41. Especially slippers. Yes!
I’ve sat here staring at the number 42 in this post until I’m halfway sure I have those numbers backward! On the inside I’m still 24.
Wow. I remember 41 - vaguely...I love your books and love your list. Nothing like a really good cup of coffee. I grew up in Jacksonville too and can’t sing a lick. I would give a lot to run a 5:35 mile. Actually, a 10 minute mile would be great right about now. As for the aches and pains, just wait until you hit 50....It only gets better.
Keep up the good work and keep the books coming.
Charles,
I like a man who can laugh at himself, love others fearlessly, and realize that there are things that are good and true that we must hold dear. The smile comes through in your writing, and it’s contagious. Thank you for being you.
(I’m still not there on the sweater, thing, though.)
Rob
Happy to see a blog post from you....I worry when it gets to be too long! Happy 41! I’m 39 and have never worn slippers...but had the thought a couple days ago that I might enjoy them this fall and winter, so I laughed at your line about that...and others. Thanks for all your writing. “I like the way you talk”.
Welcome to the 40’s, Charles. It’s a good decade. LOVE your books!! Read them all, own them all. Anxiously waiting for your next one. I strongly agree to some of your “turning 41” comments: Chocolate IS good for you; dark chocolate that is. King David is also my favourite writer. Thank you for sharing your God-given talent. God bless you with a wonderful year.
I finished “The mountain between us” last night. That was the most touching book I have ever read. I couldn’t hardly stand to put it down. I read it all in about 26 hours - including working all day, making supper for my family, helping a 1st, 4th, and 6th grader with homework and washing clothes. I have read lots of books, but your writing is on a whole different level. The way you can touch my heart and soul with your characters makes me smile in a way that is more real than life usually offers and makes me cry tears that come directly from my heart. Your description of hope as following the arc of a character from a real bad place of being broken to a place of not broken is similar to the thread of grace that God offers as hope through our struggles (can’t think right now where that scripture is). Everyone has their own struggles, and mine have included cancer (that according to the doctors should have killed me undetected but I am healthy now), severe depression and many others. My husband has used an example in his sermons that he looks forward to God showing him the thread of grace that has run thru all my struggles someday. I think that sounds like your arc of character. Thank you for putting your heart on paper! You have blessed my life.
The problem with your books are that they are SO good, I read them too fast ;-). Just finished, “A Mountain Between Us”. WONDERFUL. I can see why they want to make it into a movie.
I’ve just finished The Mountain Between Us. I don’t want to sound corny, but I’m in awe of the power of this story. I’ve got everyone of your books, loved the stories everyone, except for Where the River Ends. I just couldn’t get into it, was disappointed in the book. Hesitated to even buy, The Mountain Between Us. I started reading the book didn’t even want to put it down. I ‘m so looking forward to your next one. I was on your e-mail list, please put me back on. I can’t wait till your next one hits the shelf’s.
Oh, how I relate...to most of them! Thanks for this list. It made me smile--and re-consider how blessed I am at 40 1/2. :)
I couldn’t agree more with bringing back John Wayne! He is the BOMB! (I find myself agreeing with a lot of what you have to say) I love your books, and your posts. Please keep it up!
-Kartwright
I found a book called “When Crickets Cry” on the road one day. Someone had lost it and there was not a name to return it to. I decided to read the book and it is the best book I have ever read by far. I am a Sparks fan as well as many others but you have them all beat
I would very much like to purchase more of your books. Is there an easy way to get all of them?? Keep up the great work !
Betty Jean Hester. 438 Dean Dr NW. Georgetown TN