Tony is short for Anthony Bourdain, the man who is credited with the entire ” Foodie ” universe.

My wife and her family might know what that means where I eat food as a means to an end. But a good story is a good story.

Speaking 🔊 of a good story :

  There are so many ways for people to judge the success of others.

First, the Bible says not to judge…

But people can’t help themselves, so here we are.

Is the meter based on your last name ? Is it the car 🚗 you drive ? Maybe it’s how many Facebook friends you have or the balance in your bank book ?

In the Candyland World 🌎 where I reside, none of that truly matters. It’s easy to say, but you have to back that up with what does matter…

The only thing that should matter to a Man 👨 with a family is his value to his family.

Last night, the Ferrum College Lady Panthers volleyball team played a non-conference match at Emory and Henry University.

The visitors won the match in four sets, but the storyline wasn’t about the match it  was one of 1,000 that I’ve watched over the decades. The story was developing in the plastic yellow seats on a Tuesday evening in the middle of nowhere.

  It is without a doubt that my failure to earn the right to attend college myself is the reason why I run 🏃‍♂️ to one every chance I get. Last night was different, and it came in two’s, a little like the story about Noah and the animals.

First, it was Natalie Harris and a friend from college. Natalie is busy trying hard to earn her second piece of paper (my term for a college degree ) and had the shortest drive down to E & H.

Next to arrive was Big Sis and her husband, who became Marion’s first son-in-law. He fills his spare time coaching Boys Tennis while his bride 👰‍♀ leads our Girls Soccer ⚽️ program.

Mom and Dad were next through the door 🚪, Grandparents to the Kiddo playing for FC. Grandma 👵 doesn’t move around as well as she once did, and my favorite memory of the night was not when Half Pint served an Ace. It was watching Natalie stop ✋️ what she was doing to aid her grandmother.

Marion Harris – you have something beyond MAGICAL going on around you right now, something that most will never experience.

This young man didn’t appear on the guest list, but from the looks of the picture, he is another member of something special…

Now, thankfully, I’m not a movie critic, so there will be no review posted about Tony. Just one about Marion Harris !

Makin’ Music for Money https://share.google/WFDC7KEGjOCbiMMZh

Way back in 1974, Alex Harvey 🖊🖋 a song 🎵 that Jimmy Buffett recorded and put on his A1A album. I adopted it as my unofficial theme song decades ago.

It’s a fun listen for anyone who has 2+ minutes, but for those who don’t, I will try to paraphrase the message.

Buffett didn’t try hard to be commercial, even though everyone in the business repeatedly told him that he had to make the adjustment or he would never find any level of success.

Using the combination of Alex Harvey and Jimmy Buffett,  don’t write my stories for money, I write my stories for me !

Last night was a great example, and when I finish fully waking up ( it gets harder every day ), I will try to describe something that I found both truly amazing and impressive.

The person at the center of this story is Marion Harris. Now, there is problem #1, writing ✍️ about Marion Harris is not a social media darling, and, like most people, he has his share of people that aren’t members of his fan club.

  I could spend two hours doing an analysis of an upcoming football game or offer a ” Hot Take ” on one of many topics. Either one of those would draw eyes 👀 to the story, but when you don’t even create a byline for yourself on your stories, you clearly aren’t looking for fame or glory. I’m just looking to put a personal touch on any solid story that presents itself !

  The number one pushback that I hear is why would I care about that story ? I don’t know that person or I don’t like that person. I can not get hung up in the daily grind of Who likes Who…..

The flip side of the story is about Hix Miller, who I treasure crossing paths with anytime the opportunity presents itself. See, Hix reminds me of my own life 20 years ago, and it makes me smile to see a flashback to my own journey. I think that I could write ✍️ about Hix twice a week, and those stories are always well read, but you can not tailor your vision for popularity.

Full Circle, 👀 seeing Hix Miller makes me smile and reflect on my own journey ➕️ as Scott Van Pelt says : The best thing I saw today happened in Emory, Virginia.

Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Have yourself a Blessed Day 🙌😇🙏