Christmas is right around the corner, and thankfully the men’s basketball players at Francis Marion will have the opportunity to spend the holidays with their families. They have been working hard in the classroom and on the court and our players deserve to prop up their feet and enjoy some of Mom’s home cooking.
Mom might have to cook some chicken soup for them because it will be a miracle if we all don’t come down with pneumonia after our trip to Florida last week.
On the way down, our bus had no air conditioning and we were doing some heavy sweating for about eight hours. On the way back, it started raining and got a lot colder as we traveled farther north.
Of course, the bus had no heat, either. So by the time we got back to Florence, we had gone from one temperature extreme to the other. And we were very glad to get off the bus.
We were glad to start our Christmas vacations. I think it is important that our players and coaches have the opportunity to spend time with family and friends during the holidays.
Too many college athletes are practicing or traveling to games over the Christmas break.
I tell my players to enjoy this time of year. Your mind will bring you back to these days and your family traditions time and time again. These are priceless days and, yet, they can change dramatically over the years.
Don’t take these days for granted. Don’t take the gifts of Christmas for granted because, as you grow older, you learn that these gifts are not guaranteed.
When I was a child, I spent Christmas mornings in the tiny eastern North Carolina town of Woodland. The entire family would gather at my grandparents’ house to open presents and eat a big meal.
The kids always ate at the card table in the living room, and you were an adult when you could eat at the big table in the dining room. I never made it to the big table before my grandfather, Grady, died.
In the afternoon, I would head over to my other grandparents’ house and shake pecans out of the huge pecan trees on their farm. My Dad and I would pick pecans until the sun set on that farm and then my grandmother would bake the most wonderful pecan pies you can imagine.
My Dad is no longer here to shake the pecans from those magnificent trees, but I talk to my son, Grady, about him. And I hold those Christmas memories close to my heart.
So I tell my players to enjoy the time they spend with their loved ones. Cherish the moments and cherish the people of your life.
Have a wonderful holiday season! May you spend less time riding on a temperature challenged bus, and more time in the limbs of an old pecan tree.
— Gary Edwards is the men’s basketball coach at Francis Marion. E-mail him at gedwards@fmarion.edu.
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