Friday, February 27, 2009

Christmas Present

I am told that on occasion, Christmas presents arrive early, and aren’t given until much later. I wouldn’t know about that, because at the Lane house, whenever a Christmas present arrives at the door, everyone wants to tear it open “right now!” No need for waiting….let’s see what is inside the box.

But for him, this present wasn’t like that.

It arrived on Christmas Eve, but wasn’t fully delivered until just over a week ago. That’s a long time to hold onto a present. But they said, “We wanted to do it this way. He just means so much to us, and this was our way of doing it.”

He has had a very difficult year thus far. He found out in December that there was an inoperable malignant tumor in his brain. To say it was devastating news would be an understatement….for himself, for his family, for his friends, for his team.

And so they wanted to give this one to him.

As stated earlier, it arrived on Christmas Eve…..in 1985. Born in Hawthorn Victoria, Australia. Some said the boy was born with gills. Others said he must have webbed feet. Still others would look at his back to see if there was a fin. But he had none of those…he was just a boy who loved the water.

He decided to earn his college degree from Auburn University, and swim for their perennial championship swim team. And just over a week ago, he gave his coach a belated Christmas present.

Matt Targett, before diving head first into the James C. Martin Aquatic Center’s pool, turned to the sea of orange and blue sitting in the stands. He raised his arms high above his head, which elicited a raucus response from the overflow crowd of Auburn fans who had packed the Aquatic Center to witness the Auburn men’s swim team in the SEC Championship Tournament. What they witness was sheer domination.

Targett backed up his brashness by diving into the pool, and torpedoing to an NCAA-record time in the 400-yard freestyle. And behind his leadership, the Auburn men’s swim team left the rest of the Conference behind capturing their 13th consecutive….that’s right….13th consecutive Southeastern Conference Championship.

And then Targett, speaking on behalf of the entire Auburn men’s swim team said, “We did this for Coach Richard Quick…..our swim coach….who is here today, but has been suffering with a brain tumor. He told us before we swam, to just go out there and finish the job that we started earlier this season before he got sick. Coach Quick is such an integral part of our lives, and we wanted to give this championship to him as a gift. He just means so much to us, and this was our way of doing it.”

The tears couldn’t be held back from Coach Quick’s eyes. And being the great coach that he is, he would take no accolades, but said of his senior leader, “Targett’s great….look at what he did.”

All the boy born on Christmas Eve did was break the SEC record in all seven events in which he competed, and swam the fastest time this year anywhere in the nation in the 100 meter freestyle. And then he was named the SEC Male Swimmer of the Year.

Now Coach Quick and Targett-led Tigers head to College Station Texas for the NCAA championships which begin March 19. Maybe the team has one more present under their swimcap to present Coach Quick. If so, it would be the best present he’s gotten since receiving his tragic health news the week before Christmas, 2008.

WJLaneSR

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Hard Times

“Hard times are coming.” That’s what T.K. used to say. T.K.’s real name was Todd Kimsey. He was my college biology professor, and he wanted everyone to call him T.K. It was the fall quarter of my freshman year, and T.K. stood looking out the window of our classroom. He announced, with his speech pattern of ever protracted syllables, “yeees….hard times are comin.’ I’ve got a frieeeeend who said to me….Toooodd….one daaaaay, they’re gonna plow up that rooooaaad…..and plant potatoeeees. Hard tiiiiiimes are coming.”

Well, T.K., I think they may be here. Or soon will be.

You know, it’s interesting how people will take more risks during “hard times” than during “normal times”. For example, people will choose not to spend money on brakes that need replacing….choosing to wait a little longer before putting on the new shoes. Or let the treads of the tires get a little balder before buying new ones. Of course, any number of arguments can be made as to why that should NOT happen. But it does.

Being in the tire business right now must be as difficult as any other retail establishment. Struggling is probably the buzzword.

He owns a tire mart. It’s right there on the main Boulevard in the middle of town. And although the President was addressing the world on national television last night about the economic crisis and his plan to put the United States on the road to recovery, he didn’t watch.

It wasn’t because of lack of interest, for surely anyone owning a small business is interested in the economy right now. And it wasn’t because he didn’t care. In fact, all his friends and neighbors say he is one of the most caring people they have ever met. He has been called a civic leader. A business leader. A person who has led by example all his life. A person whose whole life has been about helping others.

These were the words that Bill Bowles said about him.

Bill should know. He has known him for more than 25 years.

He wasn’t watching the President speak because he was being honored at the Hilton Garden Inn. The dinner was $75 per person, and was sold out. And they were going to make sure his legacy would never be forgotten. This would be done by establishing a scholarship in his name, and then endowing it for posterity.

Last night, over 200 people came together in southwest Georgia, in the town of Albany (which the locals pronounce al-BIN-y), to establish this scholarship. In 2010, some lucky Southwest Georgia high school student will be awarded a $25,000 scholorship to attend Auburn University. The Southwest Georgia Auburn Club is making sure of that, and the scholarship will be named after him…..73 year old E. Cleve Wester.

Cleve Wester was an offensive tackle on Auburn’s 1957 National Championship Team. He was toasted by his former teammate, Jackie Burkett, who said, “Cleve was a good player who was liked and respected by his teammates.” Another of his teammates, Teddy Foret, said of him, “He’s just a super guy. He’s always smiling and always your friend.”

The entire current Auburn football coaching staff attended the event, along with athletic director Jay Jacobs. Former Auburn (and NFL) football players Will Herring, Ben Leard, and Joe Cope, along with former coach Pat Dye were on hand, along with other local celebrities.

At the end of the evening, when asked what this day had meant to him, that the new coaching staff had taken their time to come; that the Southwest Georgia Auburn Club had honored him this way; that the Auburn family thought enought of him to endow a scholorship in his name; Mr. Wester’s answer was short and to the point. It also spoke volumes about the man and his loyalty to Auburn. He simply said, “It means we’re one. War Eagle. ”

Maybe he was teaching us a lesson and giving us a glimpse, that for Auburn football at least, hard times are about over.

WJLaneSR

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Pink but not Floyd

The Auburn Tiger Women’s Basketball Team is now ranked #3 in the country. With a conference record of 10-1, and an overall record of 25-1, the Tigers are off to their best start since 1992. The only blemish on their otherwise perfect season was at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens back on January 29th. Since that defeat, Auburn has won 5 straight.

Well, it is now time for revenge. The grudge match will take place on Sunday, February 22nd at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. Tipoff will be at 2:00 p.m. Central Time, or for those of us in South Carolina, 3:00 p.m. The Georgia game will be a “Think Pink” game, and everyone who attends is encouraged to wear pink for breast cancer awareness. I read an article this past weekend about one women’s team who wore pink uniforms, and the journalist called it “interesting.”

Increasing the awareness of breast cancer by wearing pink is more than just interesting. It is about saving lives. It’s about understanding the cancer and how early detection significantly increases the chance of survival. It is about how to live with the cancer, and fight the cancer on the road to wellness. It is about finding support from others who may be on the same journey, or who may be willing to walk the journey along side a person affected.

Wearing pink is about help for today, and hope for tomorrow.

It is estimated that over 242,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2009. This is more than just interesting. It is a call for action.

I’ve heard it said, “Real men don’t wear pink.” Well, for all of us men out there, I say “Dare to Wear Pink!”

And a great place to wear it will be at the Auburn-Georgia Women’s basketball game. General admission tickets for the game will be $2.00 at the door.

If you don’t have anything pink to wear, I’ve heard from a very good and reliable source that Tiger Rags will be open on Sunday beginning at Noon, and will be selling pink Auburn shirts for the occasion. And I’ve also been told that if you look at Coach Nell Fortner’s feet for the game, you will see her in pink Converse All-Star sneakers.

So head to Auburn for the grudge match on Sunday, if you can. But even if you can’t, or even if you could care less about the basketball game…..get involved in breast cancer awareness.

It really is a matter of saving lives.

War Eagle!

WJLaneSR

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Lucky 13

Right now, I am enjoying a nice cup of tomato and rice soup from “Au Bon Pain”. And you thought people in New York didn't eat exotic lunches!!

Au Bon Pain is in our building, and all I have to do is take the elevator to the lobby, turn left, and “Voila!” I am there. I don’t have to exit into the shivering winter cold, I don’t have to step out into the taxi-fumed atmosphere…just walk from our lobby into their store.

As I got on the elevator for my ride back up to the 27th floor where our offices are located, all the while holding my precious tomato nectar close so as not to spill it on other passengers, I noticed the numbers. Or rather, I noticed the lack of one. I guess I had noticed it before, but had really paid no attention.

There is no floor 13 in our building. None. Which means that my office is really on the 26th floor, though the elevator shows it to be the 27th. The button panel goes from 12 to 14. No 13. I guess there really are a lot of superstitious people out there who think the number 13 is unlucky. I guess they wouldn't want to work on the 13th floor. Frankly, I'm not sure I would either.

Coming back to my office, I had the number 13 on my mind, as I settled in for a nice quiet cup of hot soup. “Just eat my soup and read the Wall Street Journal On-Line” I was thinking to myself. And what should the headline be?

You guessed it. The number 13. The stimulus package that is about to become law will provide most of us law abiding, tax paying citizens a whopping additional $13 per week for spending in order to stimulate the economy. There’s that number 13 again. I think I feel myself shiver.

I wonder what I will spend my $13 on? Let’s see…in New York, I could buy 1 more pack of cigarettes per week….if I were a smoker, which I am not. So I won’t be spending it there. Hmm…I can buy one more bottle of wine per week. Maybe that will help the California wine industry. Or I can buy an additional 12-pack of lite beer per week. After all, Milwaukee could probably use the money. But if I use my $13 to buy wine, or a twelve pack of beer a week, I might need even MORE money to deal with the consequences of those purchases. I know, I can buy a book at Barnes and Noble, but it will have to be paperback. The newest books are all hardback and cost more than $13.

Maybe I can rent two movies from Blockbuster each week with my $13, as long as they are older movies. If it is a new movie, I can only rent one, but maybe have enough money left over to buy a candy bar to eat while I watch it. I could always buy a pack of socks from WalMart, but I won't have enough money to buy underwear to go with them. Or I can put 7 gallons of gas in my car.

One thing I CAN’T do with my $13, however, is get a haircut. It costs me $15.

Boy, am I ready to go out and stimulate our economy with my $13. Aren't you? This must be our lucky day.

WJLaneSR

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Daughter's Mission Trip

O.K., so I don't usually do this. In fact, I have never done this before...at least on my blog. But I think it is worthwhile. And it is something I believe in. So I am going to give her some space on my sacred posting area.

I am talking about my daughter, Marissa. Her letter is pretty self-explainatory, but I can testify to the fact that it is all true. Some of you will get this letter personally through the U.S. "snail" mail, but I'm letting her post the letter here in case there are some of you who don't get the personal letter, but feel inclined or moved to act on it. So, here goes....this is her letter:


Dear Friends and Family,

I have been given the opportunity to join a group of Christians who will be travelling to Nairobi, Kenya in order to provide medical, educational and spiritual missions to the people living in the city slums and surrounding area. Although the team will be comprised of Christians from many denominations, it is being organized through the Northside Baptist Church in Greenwood, South Carolina.

The mission trip will begin June 11th and will run through June 27th. The cost of the trip will be $3,600 which will include roundtrip airfare from Atlanta to Kenya, all food, shelter, transportation in Kenya and the necessary costs of conducting the mission.

I am sharing this with you because I am hoping you will partner with me to make this trip a reality. Several years ago, I began to feel God calling me to work with underprivileged, lost and forgotten people. God has given me the opportunity to respond to this call by participating in such projects as Salkehatchie Summer Camp, a mission trip to Leon, Nicaragua, and a summer working in Rock Hill. Now, the Lord has opened an opportunity for me to respond in Kenya.

Would you consider helping me financially? Any amount will put me closer to Nairobi. Any contributions beyond my needed $3,600 will go to additional group-wide mission trip expenses. The due date for this is April 1. My home church, New Beginnings United Methodist Church, has set up an account to receive donations. Please make checks payable to New Beginnings United Methodist Church, and in the memo line write “Marissa Lane – Kenya Trip”. The address is:

New Beginnings United Methodist Church
210 Rainbow Lake Road
Boiling Springs, South Carolina 29316

I am looking forward to this trip, where I will have the opportunity to share the love of Christ, the work He has called me to, and the hope that this will bring to those living in the poorest conditions of Nairobi, Kenya. If you are interested in seeing one of the youth centers I will be working in, go to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFbNK-_A9Qs

Thank you for prayerfully considering how to assist me in this ministry opportunity.

In Christ,

Marissa S. Lane


Thank you for praying for, and assisting if you feel so led, my daughter as she prepares for this mission opportunity.

WJLaneSR

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Stimulus

I am pretty excited about the recruiting class that Auburn signed yesterday. In fact, as the day wore on, the experience of seeing our Tigers sign an “unexpected” highly rated wide receiver from Texas was….well…..stimulating. You know…like a stimulus.

Now THAT’S a word that is being thrown around a lot these days. Actually, the word stimulus means taking something externally and injecting internally to get a reaction. Our five senses do that for our body all the time.

So taking yesterday’s “stimulating” class of new Auburn Tigers, I decided to write something about stimulus. Or should I say, I decided to write something about the “stimulus package” that is before the Senate right now. I want to point out a few things that are packaged within that $900 Billion Stimulus Bill.

$2 Billion is earmarked for FutureGen, a coal power plant in Illinois that Department of Energy defunded last year because they said it wasn’t efficient.

$246 Million tax break for Hollywood Movie Producers to buy motion picture film.

$650 Million for coupons to buy digital television converters.

$88 Million for the Coast Guard to design a new ship.

$248 Million for new furniture for the Department of Homeland Security Offices.

$448 Million to construct a new office complex for them (see item just above).

$600 Million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.

$125 Million for the Washington D.C. Sewer System.

$150 Million for the Smithsonian Institute.

$1 Billion for the 2010 Census.

$1.4 Billion to study ways of handling rural waste disposal.

$6 Billion to turn Federal Buildings into “Green” Buildings

$110 Million to upgrade the Farm Service Agency’s computer system.

$500 Million for building repairs at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland.

$160 Million for “Paid Volunteers” doing community service.

$100 Million for reducing the hazards of lead-based paint.

You get the idea. There are numerous wasteful provisions, at least in my opinion, of the Senate version of the stimulus bill being debated that, at a minimum, must be questioned as to their “stimulus” of our economy. If you feel the same way, then by all means, let your voice be heard.

Do we need a stimulus bill passed? Everyone agrees….yes. But it doesn’t need to be laden with more pork barrel fat.

Anyway….War Eagle!

WJLaneSR

Monday, February 2, 2009

Groundhog Day

James Morris was a storekeeper in Berks County, Pennsylvania. As with all good storekeepers, who in detail kept a journal of all inventory, customers, accounts receivable and accounts payable, Mr. Morris also kept a personal diary. Mostly it was an account of the day’s activities, so that he had a record of what transpired. Because the year was 1841, there were no blogs or e-diaries he could use.

On February 4, 1841, Mr. Morris wrote the following in his diary: “Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate."

And with that simple journal entry, Groundhog Day in the United States was born.

Well, today is Groundhog Day. It occurs every year on February 2nd, and depending on whether you believe Punxsutawney Phil, General Beauregard Lee, Woodstock Willie or Staten Island Chuck determines whether you think there are six more weeks of bad weather…..or spring is just around the corner.

As for me, I prefer the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray playing the main character, over the actual Groundhog Day. I love the way he had to live each day over and over again until he learned to give up his selfishness and become a better person.
The great thing about having so many famous and well-known groundhogs is that you can choose which one you want to follow and believe. You can choose which hog to believe. Or you can choose not to believe in the rodent’s ability to foretell the next six weeks weather. It’s all about choice.

This brings me to another important day this week. Wednesday is National Signing Day, which is the first day a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college football. Nearly every high school senior who has been offered a scholarship to play college football will sign a letter of intent on Wednesday. It's a day of choice. A day to choose their new school.

To the average fan, the fan that looks forward to tailgate fellowship but has little interest in the game itself, Wednesday will be just another day. But to those of us who are die-hard fans of big-time college football, Wednesday is cultural phenomena. A mini-holiday of sorts. A day spent surfing the web for the latest breaking news of our favorite team and who has faxed in their letter and how many stars he has beside his name. A day for fan-parties and ESPNU watching. A day that represents the culmination of all of the off-season recruiting that takes place in order to keep a team competitive on the national stage.

It is college football’s Groundhog Day. A day when some programs see only a shadow of what might have been, and will face more difficult times. Or a day when some programs don’t see a shadow, but see a real future with their class…reminding them that the next season is just around the corner.

War Eagle!
WJLaneSR