The dream shall never die...

We're now roughly one week removed from the special election for Senator Kennedy's replacement in Massachusetts. Flared tempers have settled a bit, and we now have the chance to put it all in a bit of perspective. First things first - it's hardly the end of the world if you're a Democrat and it's hardly the indication of the second coming if you're a Republican. Am I disappointed? Yes. Can I give up hope? No. I absolutely refuse to give up hope. At the DNC in the summer of 2004, a young Senate hopeful from Illinois told us that "out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come." There have been days in the past year when that bright day has been dim, but, much to the chagrin of many, the light has yet to be extinguished. "The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die."

What is so disheartening to me is the vast number of people who believe that politics is absolutely black and white. The current political discussion is devoid of rational thought and civil discourse. The Glenn Becks and Keith Olbermanns tend to bring out the worst in us. For the record, I used to love watching Countdown. I'm hoping that Keith will settle down a bit after Jon Stewart called him out this week.

If patience is a virtue, it's clear that DC has a lot to work on. Bush 43 was given eight years to get us where we are today. I think it's only fair we give our current president more than 12 months. He inherited a financial crisis brought on by turning a budget surplus into a record deficit and years of deregulation of the financial services industry. Was he too ambitious to tackle health care reform in the midst of it? Perhaps. But when unemployment is soaring and credit is tightening, tackling the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the country isn't such a bad idea if you actually think about it. He's tried to manage TARP - a baby of a Republican administration - as effectively as possible. The so-called capitalists believe we should just let the banks fail. But seriously, think about what would happen to our economy of BofA failed.

The lesson for all of us is that we can't continue to live in a vacuum. We are all inextricably linked as one people. And the lack of civility that prevails today only hinders our future success. Should everyone think the same? Absolutely not. Government of the people, by the people and for the people depends on different viewpoints, but it also depends on recognizing our common humanity. In his commencement address at Notre Dame this year, the President said "when we open our hearts and our minds to those who may not think like we do or believe what we do, that's when we discover at least the possibility of common ground." I hope you can find some common ground in your life.

Goodbye Kiffin

My feelings about Lane Kiffin jilting Tennessee for Southern Cal (yes, I am an SEC girl and USC is South Carolina to me) can best be summed up by saying "Lane, we hate to see you go, but love to watch you leave." About a year ago, Tennessee hired Lane Kiffin to help resurrect a football program that had been floundering in mediocrity for several years. Volunteer fans were desperate to believe in their team again. I know because I've been there. Steve Spurrier left after my freshman year at UF. After three years under Ron Zook, Urban Meyer was exactly what we needed. What Urban has done in his 5 years as the Bull Gator takes nothing away from the Old Ball Coach's legacy, in my opinion at least. Steve brought us 4 straight SEC titles and our first national championship. Does Urban's resume speak a little louder with two national titles? Sure. But Steve was UF's first Heisman winner. Steve is a Gator through and through - present mascot choice not withstanding.

What Urban gets and what, I'm afraid, Lane will never get is that without the foundation laid by Ray Graves and Steve Spurrier, and yes, even Ron Zook, he would never have achieved the success he has enjoyed at Florida. Nick Saban, a ruthless football coach and fierce competitor, has bounced around more times than a Pogo stick in the past 10 years. But Nick understands the Bear's legacy. He didn't take the job at Alabama to drastically change it; he took it to build on it. Mark Richt is perhaps too tenderhearted to be a coach in the SEC. But he accepted the job at Georgia with the intent of reclaiming the program's glory under Vince Dooley.

Tennessee has great football traditions in its own right. Neyland Stadium at its best is one of the best CFB venues in the country. The Volunteer Navy remains one of the great tailgating traditions in the SEC. And just two more words: Peyton Manning. I love that Peyton never beat the Gators, but he was a wonderful representative for UT when he was a student-athlete and he has created a lasting legacy in the NFL.

But either Lane never appreciated any of that or just thought that his way was better. Either way, Lane Kiffin and Tennessee was never a match that meshed very well. There are numerous reasons why Volunteer fans support Tennessee, and for the faithful, Lane Kiffin just wasn't a good enough reason.

Hopefully Tennessee will hire a coach who can appreciate the history and build on the future. It would be nice to restore the UF/Tennessee rivalry of the mid-90s and early-00s. With that Lane, this Gator fan bids you adieu.

"God in man made manifest"

Happy Epiphany - it's officially permissible to take down Christmas decorations! I kid, but only somewhat. Blessedly, my parents raised me in the Episcopal Church, and I've been a stickler for liturgy for as long as I can remember. January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany, is when we celebrate the visitation of the magi to the newborn King, as well as the manifestation and baptism of Christ. It also represents the end of the liturgical season of Christmas - the origin of The Twelve Days of Christmas comes from the 12 days between December 25th and January 6th. I absolutely love Christmas decorations, and am perfectly happy to have a reason to celebrate well into the new year.

Several years ago, a priest at our church was preaching one Sunday after Christmas and told the story of how the Mary in the Christmas pageant that year exited stage left without the baby Jesus. David M. Bailey, a wonderful singer/songwriter, wrote a song for his Christmas album with the following chorus: "Don't leave the baby in the manger; it's only the first scene of the play; grow with Him to the empty tomb; the Prince of Peace lives today." The crux of the message of both that sermon and song is to not only remember that Christmas isn't Christmas without the incarnation, but that the mystery of the incarnation doesn't end the day after Christmas. Epiphany is a wonderful reason to remember and give thanks for all of the ways God manifests himself in our daily lives. God makes himself known to us in moments where we know we need Him, but also in times where we least expect it. It is my prayer for each of you that your year will be filled with numerous manifestations and epiphanies and you will give thanks and be blessed by them!

A Collect for Epiphany from the Book of Common Prayer: O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face. Amen.

New Year - New Blog!

Well, technically the blog isn't all that new. I actually came up with the name and format back in the early fall, but life - namely college football and a super busy time at work - got in the way. I figured that the new year was a great time to actually kick it off and try to be fairly regular in my posting. I hope that the blog can provide an update of what's going on in my life, but I'm also hoping to use it as a way to maintain and hone my writing skills. Aside from traveling, cooking, the Florida Gators, and pretty much anything covered in Southern or Coastal Living, I'm incredibly interested in politics and current events and I do plan to occasionally address those topics in this space - to not address them at all, I feel, would be a disservice to what defines an important part of my personality. It is my hope, however, that this can be a safe place to exchange opinions and do it in a respectful manner (so please don't let it stop you from reading!)

I hope you'll visit often and I hope you have a peaceful and blessed 2010!

Thank you!

To Tim Tebow and the Florida Gator Senior Class:

Thank you. Two simple words. Two simple words that cannot come close to expressing the gratitude felt by the Gator Nation; gratitude for the wild ride you've taken us on the past four years, gratitude for accomplishing more than we ever expected. You committed to play for the University of Florida during the first year of a young, unproven coach's tenure in the toughest conference in the nation. But you believed. You believed the coach who told you that you could be a part of something special. You believed the coach who told you he was going to turn the University of Florida into the envy of the college football universe.

Four years later, you leave as the winningest class in SEC history. You not only leave with tangible symbols of two conference championships and two national titles, but also with the love of a fan base that will continue to support you in the NFL or whatever path you choose to pursue. You might leave the University of Florida, but the University of Florida will never leave you.

You might have seen the most recent ad campaign from the university asking "when did you become a Gator?" Five or ten years from now, freshman at UF will answer that it was one night in the desert or that cool January night in Miami. Perhaps it was when a quarterback made a promise to a nation or when he decided that playing one more year in The Swamp meant more than draft status.

As a team, you have dealt with unimaginable expectations placed upon you by not only the media, but by your own fans. And you performed with grit and determination. For the past four years, you've taken an incredible journey and you've welcomed us along for the ride. Thank you, seniors, for showing the rest of the country what we've known all along: it's great to be a Florida Gator!