Salutations for the Holiday Season (according to one’s political party)

To all my Democratic friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

To all my Republican friends:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

You Don’t Have to Be a Member of “Gator Nation” to Appreciate Tim Tebow

I love college football, and more explicitly SEC football. I know that there are other conferences, but I just don’t think that any conference is as strong as the SEC. While being from Louisiana makes me a fan of LSU (Geaux Bayou Bengals! Wahoo!), I have to give mad props to Tim Tebow of UF. I have great respect for this man, both on and off the field. On the field, who can deny his stats? Off the field, he demands respect for his work ethic and Christian character.

Consider his life story: He was born in the Philippines to Christian missionary parents. His mother contracted a significant illness while pregnant with him, and was told to abort the 2007 Heisman winner lest he face irreparable damage due to the treatment of her illness. Of course they did not abort. After a tour of duty in the Philippines, the Tebow family moved to a farm outside of Jacksonville, FL, where they were taught hard work and Christian discipline by Bob and Pam Tebow. Tim was homeschooled by his mother, yet allowed to play public high school football, where he threw for over 10,000 yards. Now, as a sophomore and a mere 20 years of age, he is a record-setting Heisman winner. This kid’s life is a made-for-TV-movie.

Give a listen to his Heisman acceptance speech. Two things emerge: he is a Christian and a proud member of “Gator Nation.” He loves his Lord, his family, his coaches, and his teammates. While I am not a member of “Gator Nation,” I have to admit–he is going to be fun to watch.