It goes beyond people we loved enduring inside us

HEARTS FOR HAXTON - The body is temporal while the spirit endures. Last Sunday morning Amanda Haxton’s spirit lifted away freeing itself from a body paralyzed by an accident in the fall of 2006. I do not like the phrase passed away or succumbed or tragically lost her battle - none of that stuff remotely applies to the spirit that is Amanda Haxton.

The transcendence of the spirit can be felt by us temporal types with our feet on the ground. Personally, I watched both my parents battle long-term illness as young adults and experienced their wasting away, but I never concluded they lost any battle. And it goes beyond people we loved enduring inside of us.

I met Haxton when she was 11 and playing softball and she simply cracked me up. I watched and wrote about her as she ran track, played softball and excelled in field hockey. I became a mentor to her journalistic endeavors. Amanda could crank out quality stuff quickly and with little effort, not just because she was talented, but rather Hax could just “feel it.” She had empathy for others, she had a gift for assessing situations and personalities and if she could improve upon either she was gone.

Her spirit had ADD and never hung around for the ordinary. The spirit of Hax was never containable, not even in the captivity of the classroom. Laura McIlvain and Amanda were teammates and friends since they were 10.

“Her carefree spirit and contagious smile caused those who knew her to orbit around her as if she were the sun of our very universe. Although physically she is no longer with us, I know Amanda is watching down on all of us, running around Heaven wreaking some sort of havoc and cracking jokes with the angels. To all of our crazy nights, late-night calls and lazy summer days, I will carry them with me always,” teammate Nikki Rhoades wrote. “She always knew how to put a smile on our face when any of us were down and could always find a way to make even the worst situations seem OK. She has reminded us all to live life to the fullest because at any second it can be taken away as fast as it was given. Just from knowing her I, along with many others, have become a better person, and for that I will always be thankful.”

POP TART WHIBLEY - The year was 1999 and my teacher self was being observed by Cape principal Dr. Ron Burrows as part of the observation evaluation, perpetuation of employment process. I am a witty sort of fellow, but you would never know it with Burrows in the room because all my jokes missed and he seemed more interested in casting glances at students than looking bewildered like he was on a field trip to the zoo.

Somewhere in the middle of all this Ryan Whibley came late to class, flashed a hand signal with a note which I waved off, “Play on! No harm! No foul.”

Three days later I received my written evaluation and scanning through the classroom management section came to a criticism that read, “Student Ryan Whibley came late, teacher didn’t ask for a note, then Whibley took a Pop Tart out of a wrapper and ate it and teacher did not say anything or stop him.”

I brought the evaluation to class, requested Whibley stand up, then told everyone that “Whibs” had made the written part of my evaluation and was threatening my career with his Pop Tart-eating self. Later in the post-Pop Tart evaluation conference with Burrows, I mentioned that the inclusion of the words Pop Tart in a professional evaluation was frivolous and silly, so please keep them in there.

My boy Pop Tart Whibley is now the baseball coach at Mariner Middle School and this Friday, Feb. 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. there’s a fundraiser at Five Guys on Route 1 just south of Five Points. Bring your appetite for a burger as big as your face and shake hands with the Whibs and answer, “Yes, that is a Pop Tart in my pocket.”

SNIPPETS - Safe Haven Animal Shelter is hosting a fundraiser from 5:30 until 9 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 12, at Crabby Dick’s on Route 1 at Midway. Animals are the best athletes in the world and the nicest people, too. When my chocolate lab Mickey died, I got a handwritten note from Safe Haven so now they own me, but I remain off the leash. Acoustic music by Paul Cullen - “I had a dog and his name was Blue, Bet your bottom dollar he’s a good dog too.”

Dave Grosh - the dad and contemporary of mine now living in Chattanooga - sent me this note about undefeated teams. “In response to your comment in Off the Hook, Bob Dowd’s Seaford football team ran the table in 1955, going 9-0 including a 33-0 pasting of Laurel on Thanksgiving Day. Coach Dowd had three All-State players that year (one each on three teams) and 13 players participating in the first Blue-Gold game while serving as the Gold’s head coach.” Back at that time, there were no conferences or playoff systems In Delaware.

Twenty-four teams make the high school boys state basketball tournament with the top 16 receiving a first-round bye. Cape is now 10-9, and in the event they would lose the last three games, in which they are underdogs, could finish 10-12 and still make the tournament. The Vikings would be a dangerous opponent in the first round of tournament play where St. Thomas More (13-6) coached by Ralph Bayko could emerge as a possible Cape opponent.

Lisa Williams is about to begin her junior year for Drexel softball. Last season she was Drexel’s defensive player of the year and led the conference in steals with 18. Lisa was right there at Amanda Haxton’s side throughout the ordeal of her injury.

Best friends are always for keeps!