Ever wonder where “auld lang syne” came from? Well…I’ve known at least once what it meant in my life, and realized today that I had forgotten (which will shock my wife…ha). I looked it up and discovered it was a poem written in 1788 by Robert Burns and loosely translated means “days gone by”. Very appropriate for my last entry for 2008. I wish I had time to make it a long one….but (and I hear the applause now), I won’t. I will, though, touch on the year leaving us and look forward towards 2009.

Last January Called Out Quartet looked a bit different than we do right now, and with the passing of a year we can look back and reminisce. The end of 2007 saw us saying our farewells to Brandon Thompson, or bass guitar player for most of 2007. He departed the quartet to head to South Carolina where he went to spend more time with his then wife to be. Quick update….Brandon and Kristan did get married this past summer and now are expecting their first baby.

At the end of January Marty Harris, our tenor from the start, had to step down due to health issues. Quick update….Marty and all his family are doing great. They had a wonderful Christmas spending part of it in Lexington, KY with Marty’s family and the other part here in Nashville where he lives and where his wife’s family lives. He just finished heading up the Christmas program at his church and is teaching a middle school class on Sunday’s and is part of the team of youth leaders at the church.

As we rolled into February we welcomed our first new addition at a vocal spot when Scott Russell joined up to take Marty’s vacated position. It’s a hard thing to change out new people, but Scott was an easy transition. We had all known Scott for years and felt VERY blessed that he answered the call. Right after Scott joined up we started on our next CD “Classics” and got to enjoy hearing Scott’s great vocals on songs that will forever more be “his” with the group.

At the end of March we had to once again say good-bye to a dear friend and group member as Ron Bowman felt the need to step aside as piano man so he could be close to his family and in particular his very sick mother. Quick update…..I’ve talked to Ron a time or two during the holidays and he, Cindy, and Clay are doing great. His mom rebounded a bit after being VERY ill back in the spring of 2008, but has once again fallen gravely sick in the last couple of days. In fact, I got an email from Ron’s wife Cindy that said they were calling in the family today (12/31) and that her end may indeed be near. If I learn anything, I’ll be sure to pass it along to you all. In the meantime, please be in prayer for Ron and his family during this difficult time of waiting and wondering.

The group had an awesome summer and fall with dates spreading as far north as Vermont, south to Georgia, west to Missouri, and east to Cape Cod. The quartet convention was incredible as usual with some special moments not soon forgotten. Spending time with The Inspirations in our booth and talking in particular to Mike Holcomb will be something we all will always cherish.

Fall also brought difficult news for the quartet as we learned in October that Darrell would need to step aside as our baritone. Hated to hear that, but were once again blessed to have someone ready to step up and fill the spot, albeit only temporarily. Scott Godsey (of the Eddie Crook Company and formerly with The Northmen) filled Darrell’s void admirably for the remainder of the year and for that we will always be indebted. One neat thing was having Darrell come back for a weekend in Gatlinburg and sharing the time with Scott Godsey as well. Like the others, we will miss you D but are very glad we are all still great friends. Quick update….Darrell, Tammie, and Makenzie all had a great Christmas staying here around the Nashville area. Darrell’s mom had some surgery that kept her down for a while, but she is bouncing back nicely. Tammie also had some minor surgery, but has recovered back to 100% already.

Can’t talk about 2008 without talking about the loss of probably our biggest fan. My mother-in-law, Ilene Buckelew, passed away unexpectedly back in February after a stroke. She is sorely missed, but we all have to smile when we think about her as we know she has reached the goal we are all struggling for day in and day out. Quick update….her husband of over 50 years, Buck Buckelew recently moved to assisted living and still struggles daily with the loss of “his girl”. Lisa and her siblings (Dianne and Rick) visit him daily, but he is still grieving over her loss. They will one day be reunited….but until then, pray that his time here is comfortable.

Yep….lots of folks will be saying “good-bye and good riddance” to 2008. The economy tanked, people are losing jobs left and right, as a quartet we went through our first year of transitions, and we’ve lost loved ones near and dear to us all. I know though that it was all in God’s hands and will rejoice in 2008 as another year full of blessings for me personally and for the quartet I love so much. We all won’t be talking again in 2008, but let’s all be sure to see each other as much as we can in 2009. We’ve got an announcement coming soon about our full-time baritone and many other things to discuss, but for the next few days….let’s look back and reflect on where God has brought us to and peer forward as we anticipate the blessings that are ahead for us all in 2009. Be safe and have a very Happy New Year…..

Von and all the guys at CO4