Ole Miss Football: Possible Darker Days Ahead For Rebels Fans

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 23: Storm clouds gather over the city on July 23, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. A severe weather warning has been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology, with damaging winds expected later in the day. Victorians have been warned to take precautions before the worst gusts hit the state in the afternoon and evening. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 23: Storm clouds gather over the city on July 23, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. A severe weather warning has been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology, with damaging winds expected later in the day. Victorians have been warned to take precautions before the worst gusts hit the state in the afternoon and evening. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

All Ole Miss football fans are worried at this point and it isn’t all about sports for many of us given the obstacles we are having to face.

While we may all be die-hard Ole Miss football fans or even fans of other teams its difficult to look past all which is happening around us. The desire to enjoy Ole Miss sports is important to all of us but with its really difficult to focus on the positives in our lives. Most of us have been focused on trying help our families and friends get thru the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of us have been affected worse than others and have had to endure watching our loved ones suffer. So far many of us have struggled to wrap our minds around the current situation at hand. Social distancing has been hard for all of us and we’ve seen how bad it has been for the family unit, especially so for our youth and our elderly. At this point we can’t be sure how much worse it may get but we have to believe it will eventually get better.

It Will Get Better

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In life, much like college sports, seasons come and go. Right now we may believe there is no hope for a brighter future in such a dark world. Yes, things do appear dark and dreary at this point in time, but this season will change. The current pandemic may seem bad for many, however there have been thousands across the United States who have seen their family members fight, suffer and lose their lives.

I personally know two people who were hospitalized because of the virus, both Ole Miss fans. My own personal physician was diagnosed as one and the other is David Johnson, a sportswriter for OMSpirit. My doctor has since been released and seems to be recovering. David, who is also the father of Ole Miss center Eli Johnson, has had a much tougher battle but has seemed to be improving as of late.

And When It Couldn’t Get Any Worse

This past Sunday was Easter, a time for friends and family to get together and enjoy fellowship while observing the immaculate resurrection of our one true God’s Son. Sadly, it was a day of total destruction. Across Mississippi and the rest of the South we watched as people, who normally would have been at church and were isolated in their homes, saw the destructive tornado nature of the season. Lives were lost in the process and it happened within seconds.

In 2019 my own family witnessed the same. The day before Good Friday we watched as a tornado destroyed everything I had built over 20 years. All it took was 20 seconds to change my course of life from being a farmer who had cattle and a huge garden to a city slicker dependent upon store shelves. The fear on my family’s faces showed me everything I needed to know about my obligation as a protector. They were scared as well I was. I never want to endure that again. The irony, I played high school football for Philly and our mascot are the Tornadoes.

We at OHT hope and pray all our readers can endure the disruptions and distractions created by the pandemic and recent storms. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have lost loved ones as a result of both situations. Maybe soon we will all get back to a peaceful and prosperous life and can focus on Ole Miss football. In the meantime, stay home, stay safe and Hotty Toddy.