While many complain about the youth of our day and their lack of respect, I want to share with Tift County the experience that I had Oct. 9. I am a Hospice Chaplain with Hospice of Tift Area, a service of Tift Regional Medical Center. I had the privilege of conducting the funeral service of one of my patients on this day and as we traveled to Oakridge Cemetery the seventh-grade football team was on the practice field. In seeing the funeral procession approaching, every team member stopped their practice, gathered in a straight line, pulled off their helmets and placed them over their hearts. This speaks well of their coaches and the athletic department of Eighth Street Middle School.

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to each player for your respect of a person whom you didn’t even know, and to each coach for teaching your student athletes the importance of respect.

Sincerely,

Dr. Danny V. Ray,

chaplain

Hospice of Tift Area