"The Wisdom of Hot Chocolate"

By Clint Cox

I am not a coffee drinker. Apparently it is not a genetic trait because my dad could drink coffee all night long. I tried to learn to drink coffee when I worked the midnight shift as a correctional officer, but I just did not care for the taste. When I took little packets of instant hot chocolate, I got a pretty good ragging from my co-worker correctional officers. They did not see hot chocolate as being very manly. Especially when I messed up and took the packets with the little marsh mellows in it.

I’ve always liked hot chocolate and my wife forwarded an e-mail to me recently. She obviously felt that I could benefit from the message. After reading it I felt compelled to share a slightly modified version with our readers. I think we could all benefit from "The Wisdom of Hot Chocolate"

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, had gathered for a reunion and went to visit an old professor who was now retired. During the visit the conversation turned to complaints about the stress of the graduate’s work, lives and relationships.

The old professor went to the kitchen and returned with a pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups. Some cups were porcelain, some glass and some crystal. Some were plain looking while others were expensive and exquisite looking. He invited each of his former students to have a cup of hot chocolate. When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in their hand, the wise old professor started to share his thoughts.

"Notice that all of the nice looking and expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheaper looking cups. While it is normal to want the best, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cups add nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases the cups are more expensive and even hide what we are drinking. What you really wanted is the hot chocolate. You did not want the cup but you consciously choose the best looking cups. And soon you began to eye one another’s cups.

Now consider this. Life is like the hot chocolate. Your jobs, your money and your position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup does not define nor does it change the quality of life you are living. By concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has given us.

Always remember this, God brews the hot chocolate. He does not choose the cup. The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything they have.
So Simply Put…Live Simple…Love Generously…Care Deeply…Speak Kindly… Enjoy your hot chocolate…And leave the rest to God."

From the front porch: Coach said the richest person is not the one who has the most but the one who needs the least.

Simply Put-12/18/08

Simply Put
"Mr. Roy would have loved IT"
That thought occurred to me last Thursday night in Malone as I was there covering the Sneads Pirates boys basketball game against the host Malone Tigers. The Malone gym is called the Roy B. Beall Gymnasium in honor of Mr. Roy. I realize that some folks don’t know who Mr. Roy was (sounds like a good idea for a Yesteryear feature), but there are plenty of folks around that still remember all that he did for basketball in the county.
The Pirates and Tigers locked horns in another all Jackson County matchup. One of the great things that I love about Jackson County basketball is that every varsity team plays each other on a home and away basis during the regular season. That is not the case with many of the other sports, so basketball really gets the inner-county rivalries cranked up. And no matter the records or how the teams have been playing, every Jackson County game is a heated contest.
Thursday night was no different. The Sneads Pirates fans travel as well as anybody and they had a large contingency on hand. Malone as usual had their home folks in full force. All of these folks were packed into a gym that for the most part looks no different than it did 50 some odd years ago when it was built. And while I know some Malone folks would love a new gym, in my opinion the old gyms have much more character than the new gyms.
So the house was packed and the game was a classic. The two squads traded the lead through out the game. And with each lead change the crowd grew more intense. Malone got hot from outside the 3 point line and pulled out ahead in the fourth quarter. Their fans were in a frenzy as it looked like they might put the Pirates away. But back came the Pirates and a NBA style 3 pointer with five seconds to play sent the game into overtime and sent the Pirate fans into their own frenzy.
While the teams prepared for overtime the opposing fans rose to their feet and tried to out shout each others battle cries. In the end Sneads prevailed with a four point overtime win. It was a hard fought game on both sides. The players, and fans for that matter, were physically and emotionally drained when all was said and done. And while Mr. Roy’s loyalties would have leaned more toward Malone than Sneads, he really did a lot for basketball in the county as a whole. It wasn’t just for Malone and Marianna as some might think. So, Simply Put, Mr. Roy would have loved last Thursday night because it doesn’t get any better than an overtime battle of Jackson County basketball.

From the front porch: Uncle Bob noted that the early fish gets hooked for the same thing the early bird gets credit for.

Simply Put -"Honest Folks Still Around "- Dec. 11, 2008

By Clint Cox
Every day we are bombarded with news about all the ills of our society. Turn on the TV, pick up most newspapers (of course not The Times) or gather around the water fountain at work and most of the news you hear will be about folks, especially "these young folks" doing the wrong things. If we are not careful, we allow ourselves to think that the whole world is full of nothing but bad and dishonest folks.
But that is not true, and every so often my faith in honest and decent folks gets reaffirmed. One of those reaffirmations happened to me recently. I had made one of regular mandatory payday runs to Wal-Mart last Thursday night. On these mandatory pay day trips to Wal-Mart I always get the cashier to place a $100 dollar credit on a Wal-Mart gift card.
I use this gift card as a gas card at the Wal-Mart gas pumps since I can save an extra three cents a gallon when filling up my vehicle. The previous two weeks I had not traveled much so I actually already had about $45 dollars still left on my gas card. But sticking to my routine, I had the cashier ring up an additional $100 credit on the card. I grabbed my groceries, made my way to the car and headed home.
Three days later it was time to gas up but I could not find my gas card. After looking in all possible locations and unable to locate the card, I wondered if I might have left it at Wal-Mart. Of course my next thought was that if I forgot to get the card from the cashier or if I dropped it, there was a good chance that someone would have taken advantage of my hard earned $145 credit on the card. But I hoped for a long shot and on my way to Tallahassee that day I stopped in to see if the card might have been turned in.
To my amazement, the card had in fact been turned in to customer service. The cashier had put a little note on the card indicating that a customer (me) had left the card. It would have been so easy for the cashier or someone else to use the card. It is basically like cash and there would have been no trace of who used it. But the young lady did the right thing and turned the card in, thereby allowing me to reclaim it three days later. I wish I knew the young ladies name, but unfortunately I don’t.
One of my purposes or goals in writing a weekly column is to spread positive stories and ideas as much as possible. "Keep on the Sunny Side", as the old song says. So remember, Simply Put, there are still honest folks out there that do the right thing for the right reasons.

From the front porch: Coach said keep smiling! And if you notice someone is missing one, give them yours!

Simply Put-Dec. 4, 2008

"County Loses Big Sports Fan "
With the sudden passing of Ed Revell (see front page), Jackson County has lost one of our biggest sports fans. My path has crossed the path of Ed’s many times throughout my life and he certainly ranks among the top supporters of local athletics in the last 50 years.
I grew up playing sports with his son Steve and always remember Ed being around. He coached a lot during the early days and then served as one of the key men of the numerous booster clubs endeavors that supported our teams. Since Steve and I were in the same grade, I’m pretty certain that Ed saw every game we ever played and was at almost as many practices.
My association with Ed and local sports moved to a different level 18 years ago when I began covering Marianna sports on the radio. As I later added writing sports for the local paper, that association grew even more frequent. You see, during much of the past 18 years Marianna High was blessed with a trio of outstanding athletes by the names of Jake, Jeff and Jill Mathis. They are the children of Ed’s daughter Bunnee and son-in-law Danny Mathis. You won’t find a finer family around and for my money, Jeff or "Pup" as we called him, is the best all around athlete to ever wear the purple and gold of the Bulldogs.
Ed absolutely loved to follow his grandkids teams and he supported those programs with his attendance, hard work and finances. While a Farm Bureau agent he was one of our regular sponsors for Bulldog athletics on the radio.
The news of his passing took me by complete surprise for just two days before he passed away I had seen Ed. Both of us happened to stop in at McCoys to purchase a bag of oysters (we agreed that no winter holiday would be complete without oysters). There happened to be a long line of other folks with the same idea, so Ed and I chatted for 15-20 minutes while we waited. There were the usual inquiries about each other’s families. I commented how proud us Marianna folks felt every time we turned on the television and watched Pup play for the Los Angeles Angels.
As our chat drew near to a close Ed made a comment that now seems almost prophetic. He said "You know Clint, all our kids and grandkids have turned out really great. I’m so fortunate and I have truly been blessed with a wonderful life." We loaded up our oysters and wished each other a happy thanksgiving. Two days later Ed was gone.
Many folks have a lifetime of heartaches and headaches. Simply Put, we’d all be so fortunate to live a full life like Ed Revell and conclude that life by being able to say that we have truly been blessed with a wonderful life.

From the front porch: Uncle Bob said you have to wonder about folks who think God is dead and Elvis is alive.

"Hello Ole FRIEND"

Recently I found myself with a little time to kill in Tallahassee after covering a volleyball match and while waiting on my wife to finish up at a friend’s baby shower. I decided to hunt up an ole friend from my days of living in Tallahassee.

After several wrong turns I finally found the right road that led me to the Lake Jackson Indian Mounds Recreation Area. It’s been over 16 years since I last visited this ole friend. Now some folks might say calling a place a friend is rather odd. But I don’t see it that way.

The Lake Jackson Indian Mounds are located a few miles north of Tallahassee and became my "get away" spot while living in the Capital City. Having been born and raised in Marianna, I found the hustle and bustle of city life stressful. I needed a place to get out in the woods and get away from folks. A place to ponder, as I like to say. The Indian Mounds became that place for me.

The area consists of six Indian Mounds that overlook about 20 acres of land that includes a large grassy meadow area, a creek and nature trail. The trail weaves it way through a hard wood forest and meanders along the creek.

So I roamed through the park and walked the trail for the first time in over 16 years. I reminisced about the many Saturday and Sunday mornings that I used to spend "walking and pondering" at the park. I reminisced about how much my life had changed since I last visited the area. And I reminisced about my sidekick that I took with me every time I went to the Indian Mounds.

My sidekick was our dog Emmy Lou, a beagle that my wife gave to me just before we got married. Emmy Lou, named after one of my favorite singers Emmy Lou Harris, enjoyed the park even more than I did. After being cooped up in the back yard all week, she could run and play unhindered. Quite frequently she’d find a rabbit or squirrel to chase and off she’d go, baying and having a large time.

I had to put Emmy Lou down a few years ago and don’t mind saying I shed a few tears. Visiting with my ole friend, The Indian Mounds, brought back fond memories. And even though I don’t live in the big city anymore, I still enjoy and treasure my "walks and pondering" in the woods. I have two new friends for this, Citizen’s Lodge Park (I prefer the outer trail through the meadows, woods and down by the river) and our yellow Lab named Jack.

Simply Put, visiting with my ole friend took me down memory lane. It brought to mind a line from an old Eric Clapton song "Hello Ole Friend, it sure is good to see you once again."

From the front porch: Coach said discipline is not what you do to somebody; it is what you do for somebody.

Simply Put-11/20/08

"Sneads Volleyball – Public School State Champs "
By: Clint Cox

I stood on the sidelines this past Saturday in Tallahassee and watched as the Sneads Lady Pirates volleyball team fell to Maclay in the Regional Finals. A win would have sent the ladies to Lakeland for the FHSAA Volleyball Final Four. But that was not to be as Maclay ended Sneads season.
A couple of observations came to my mind while watching this match. One is that today’s brand of volleyball is one of the more exciting sporting events that you can watch. This is not your "leisurely lobbing the ball over the net game." This brand of volleyball is fast paced with plenty of hard driving shots. The ladies are very athletic and it is obvious that they have spent much time bonding as a team, as their teamwork is critical to their success. There is every bit as much strategy, fundamentals and technique that go into volleyball as any other sport. If you haven’t been to a high school volleyball match, check one out next season. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Secondly, the ole private school vs. public school debate entered my mind. Here was Sneads, a public school that has absolutely no control over their admissions, taking on Maclay, a school that has total control over its admissions. As a public school, Sneads must take their current student population that shows up and carve out their respective athletic teams. A private school on the other hand can admit who they want. And while I know they admit a lot of good students, it sure seems that they also admit an awful lot of good athletes.
I decided to sample the elite 8 of the FHSAA volleyball playoffs. That’s the last 8 schools that are in the Regional Finals and have a shot to go to Lakeland. There are six classifications in volleyball and in the lower three classifications (1A, 2A & 3A) there were a total of 24 teams making the elite 8 in their respective classifications. Of those 24 teams, 23 were private schools and 1 was a public school. That one public school was Sneads.
Having covered the sports of football, basketball, baseball, softball and wrestling, I can tell you that sampling the elite 8 of those sports would produce similar results. It’s just not right. Whether the private schools recruit, and I imagine some do, or whether they simply groom their student population through the admissions process, they have an unfair advantage.
Some states have separate playoffs for private schools and some make private schools play in higher classifications. At least that demonstrates an effort to level the playing field. Florida unfortunately is not one of those states and that is a shame.
I congratulate the Sneads Lady Pirates. You made school history with an appearance in the regional finals. Hold your heads high and know that, Simply Put, you are the 2008 Class 2A Public School State Champions.

From the front porch: Uncle Bob said well done is better than well said.

"All Four County Teams Won – Con’t."

Last week I wrote about trying to find out when the last time all four county varsity football teams won on the same night (like they did on 10/31/08). I needed to know this after a shout out from Sneads Head Coach Don Dowling during the "Don Dowling Show" on CCTV.

If you recall in my column last week I noted that the Florida High School Athletic Association’s web site only goes back to 2002. There had not been a time during the past 6 seasons when all four teams had won. So I needed to go further back but as I stated in my column there is no one out there sitting around keeping won / loss records for the county football teams.

I could not have been anymore wrong and the information was almost right under my nose. To use the ole saying, "if it had been a snake it would have bit me. When I walked in to work on Friday morning (after the Times came out on Thursday) my good buddy and partner in crime, Russell Register, gave me that "oh ye of little faith" look and speech. He has every schedule with wins and losses for the four county varsity football teams dating back to 1990.

I had briefly thought of calling him while I was typing my column last week. But it was Tuesday night (the night of my deadlines) and I figured that he has some of the schedules but probably not all of them. As usual, I should have gone with my first instinct or gut feeling and called him. But I talked myself right out of it. I know that never happens to any of you.

Russell began doing Bulldog Football on the radio in 1990 and during halftime talked about what the other county schools were doing. I then joined him in 1991 and we’ve continued that practice for the past 17 years. I did not realize though that he had kept all those yearly schedules for the past 18 years. I probably thought that because I can’t keep up with my paperwork for 18 hours, much less 18 years. But he has every one of them.

So I’ve asked for his forgiveness for doubting that he had the records and in his honor I’ve included a quote attributed to his favorite coach for this week’s From the Front Porch. I think it is a fantastic quote from one of the all time great coaches in college football. Thanks Russell .

From the front porch: Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant explained his philosophy of coaching this way "There’s just three things I ever say. ‘If anything goes bad, then I did it. If anything goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes real good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games for you. I can do that better than anybody. That, and I do know a little something about winning."