Opinion Archive

A parent reached out the other day to ask me where she could find photos of past sporting events.

She’s in the process of putting together a scrapbook for her daughter, a senior athlete at Navarre this season. It didn’t take long to give her an answer.

“For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” the Apostle Paul wrote in a letter from a prison. He was not disillusioned and looking to end it all. “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.

Yet which I should choose, I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”

Last summer our Preserve Navarre nonprofit launched an online survey at www.YourNavarre.com. The goal of this survey was to determine if Navarre residents desire to become their own city with home rule.

To date the results have given us a resounding yes. Our latest reports continue to show 66% of the respondents (3,141) support the idea.

Nine wins. A No. 2 national ranking. A share of the Gulf South Conference championship. A playoff game at home as the road to a repeat began for the University of West Florida football team.

Those are all great accolades and accomplishments, but sometimes in sports, what shows up on paper doesn’t matter once you take the field.

The month of November has brought on decidedly cooler temperatures.

Admittedly these recent thermometer readings are not at the subfreezing point of latitudes further north, but there is enough of a drop to cause a change in wardrobe.

The other day while grocery shopping, an older couple hustled by me headed for the dairy section.

In addition to their spryness, what made them stand out was that they were dressed identically, tan shorts, navy top, white crew socks and identical athletic shoes. I thought to myself, “I wouldn’t be caught dead!”

Anticipation is my drug of choice, and no time of year is more pleasing than the weeks leading up to Christmas.

I’m not much of a shopper anymore, having entered a phase of my life when getting rid of things feels even better than getting new possessions. But at Christmas, it’s still just as sweet.

This weekend is the official start to Christmas in Navarre. Saturday morning there is a Jingle Bell Run/Walk that begins at 8 a.m. at the Navarre Fire Station – with a shortcut to Grandma’s house.

Where the goodies are. If you haven’t registered at this point – you might be out of luck for this year’s shirt, but a previous year’s shirt will be just as festive.

As I pondered a letter written by a local gentleman who states that Incorporation of Navarre is a bad idea, something struck me.

The writer stated, and I quote, “Or could we enjoy our freedom, mind our own business and appreciate a county government that generally leaves us alone unless we ask for help.”