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Football Heroes Capture Our Hearts

Super Bowl Day! The championship of the National Football League! A hundred thousand spectators yelling and cheering in the stadium! The intensity of the competition vibrates over the television in every home! Excitement resonates everywhere! No one remains unaffected by this event!

The excitement all began in the 1860s when courageous players from Princeton and Rutgers played the first football game in New Jersey. The Rutgers players wore scarlet-colored scarves wrapped around their head like turbans. This was long before helmets were mandatory and the Princeton players evidently played bare-headed. The competition was fierce. It was intense.

The rivalry between the schools was played out in two vicious games that resulted in football being banned for a time because it interfered with academic studies. This same accusation has plagued college football teams every since.

The memorable heroes of this sport are still talked about years after theyve passed on. On a dusty dirt field in Ohio in 1915 the infamous Jim Thorpe, a running back, played against the most determined defensive end, Knute Rockne. They didnt have a television camera on them, but their names went down in history. Rockne was a Norwegian immigrant who grew up in Chicago and went on to Notre Dame. He became the colleges most famous football coach. He died in a plane crash in 1931. Jim Thorpe, a twin, was an American Indian of the Sac and Fox Tribe in Oklahoma and was studying at a federal government vocational school for Indian students. Not just a football player, he went to the Olympics in Stockholm in 1912 and won gold medals in both the pentathlon and the decathlon.

When King Gustaf V of Sweden presented Thorpe with his two gold medals, he said, You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world! Bruised members of other football teams playing against Thorpe agreed that he was the theoretical super player in flesh and blood.

The National Football League formed in 1920, and George Halas was one of the twelve founders. In 1921 his Decatur, Illinois, team moved to Chicago and was nicknamed the Bears. Halas created his own fast-moving history as the owner, coach and captain of the team he helped make famous.

When introduced to President Calvin Coolidge, along with team member Red Grange, as being with the Chicago Bears, the President replied, How interesting. Ive always enjoyed animal acts. Football was not yet the favorite American sport.

Television both educated and influenced the public regarding football. Especially with the instant play-back features that modern electronics provides, football has captured the hearts of Americans. Now fans can see a unique play not only once, but from several angles, over and over again. They can study every move of their heroes.

Surrendering To Freedom: Stepping Into Grace

Earlier this month as I sat at the desk by the upstairs hall window, looking down on the blossoming apple trees and the vineyard beyond, I suddenly heard a fluttering sound behind me. A house finch had flown into the open window at the other end of the hall. I watched her fly around the hall and into my office where she began banging against the window, struggling.to find a way out.

I entered my office and watched as she flew against the window unaware that the just 10 inches away, it was open. Slowly and peacefully I approached her with my open hands prayerfully offering guidance and help. At first she refused, fluttering with even more determination and desperation up and down the invisible obstacle that held her captive. I remained calm and present, ready to enfold her gently yet firmly when the opportunity appeared.

But suddenly, she stopped her frantic flapping and flew onto my finger, sitting there as naturally and calmly as if it was a tree branch. There was a communion in that moment, an understanding that passed between that finch and myself. I was reluctant to let go of that connection, and yet I knew that was part of our connection, part of the trust she had placed in me.

Slowly I shifted my hands towards the open side of the window. Somehow the clarity and awareness that had been lost during her struggle had returned in her calmness. She knew the instant she was in front of the opening, and immediately flew out the window to freedom, gifting me with two bright, clear chirps of gratitude as she went.

When I returned to the desk I began thinking of how much I am like that little house finch: Resisting the hands that offer me help, desperately running from the guidance that is constantly being offered. The hands may be human, or divine, or they may be the wings of a house finch, but they are always here, always reaching out gently to guide me to freedom.

Admiring the beauty of the Sonoma County landscape, I imagined myself settling into the hands of the Divine, just as that bird settled so gracefully onto my hand. I felt the release of tension and worry as I allowed myself to rest in the hands of God.

Since that day I have been away of the times when I am struggling like that finch. It sometimes feels out of my control, as if I am watching someone else struggle, unable to reach them and let them know that the window is open just a few inches away. But it is me. I am struggling. I am resisting. And like that finch, I am slowly learning to let go of that resistance, and to allow myself to be shown the way to grace and freedom.

How Much is My Car Worth?

Car Price Guides

Whether you’re considering trading your car.through a dealership, selling it privately, refinancing it, or if you simply want to know what it’s worth, chances are you’ll be counting on a car price guide to assign a fair value to your vehicle. Car price guides can be accessed at the library, credit unions or banks, car dealerships, and online.

While that sounds easy enough, you might be surprised to discover the amount of information that is taken into consideration in determining the value of your automobile. Since a variety of car value guides are on the market, there may also be discrepancies that exist between one value guide and another. For this reason, it is up to the car’s owner to make sure that the car is valued at its maximum value.

Getting Started

While there are several car value guides available, the function of each is quite similar. Basically, you will begin by indicating why you are trying to place a value on your car. Used car values will vary based on whether the car is being traded, sold privately, or refinanced.

Identifying Your Car

Once you’ve identified the type of valuation needed, you will select the year, make, and model of your used car. Classic or antique cars are often classified separately. You will often be asked to select the vehicle’s trim package. Note that while an EX model might be a base model on one automobile, it might be the high-end model on another automobile. In selecting the trim package, many car owners make the mistake of guessing. This could result in assigning a less valuable trim to your car, thus reducing its overall value.

The next section of the car price guide will ask for specific information pertaining to your used car. The open-ended section of the requested information will include current mileage and your zip code. The zip code is required to determine the part of the country that you live in. Car prices and values vary from region to region.

Options and Upgrades

Following this section, you will likely find a checklist with all of the available options listed. You check off the features that your car has. This will include features such as power door locks, power windows, passenger side airbags, alloy wheels, leather, sunroof, and other components that are often considered options or upgrades. It is very important that features are not overlooked. It is a good idea to refer to the car’s original paperwork for this information. A car with a high number of extra features is referred to as loaded. A loaded car has a higher value than a base model car.

Indicating Your Car’s Condition

Finally, you will be asked to rank your car’s mechanical condition and appearance. Your choices will include:

  • Excellent
  • Good
  • Fair
  • Poor

A car with an excellent rating must run like new, and have no mechanical, body, or interior damage. All features and components must be in excellent working order. Repair and maintenance records are required.

In order for a car to be considered in good condition, the car must have little or no damage. Minor scratches and dings are acceptable. This car must be fully operable, without the need of any type of repairs.

Fair conditioned vehicles might need minor repairs and may have some body or interior damage. The damage should not impede the car’s ability to be driven.

Cars that need extensive cosmetic or mechanical repairs should be considered to be in poor condition.

Obviously, the better condition your car is in, the more the car is worth. Unfortunately, opinions often differ in this subjective analysis of a car’s condition. As an owner, be prepared to justify your position on the ranking you assigned to the car’s condition. This area has the most room for debate and the dealership or private buyer may try to convince you to lessen the value of your car based on their opinion of the car’s condition.

Results

Once this final step is completed, you will be directed to a chart that will indicate the fair value of your car. If you’re using an online car price guide, the website will list the fair value, without requiring you to refer to a chart.

How to Use the Results

Even though the first step was to clarify whether you were selling your car to an individual or trading it in at a dealership, most car value guides will still provide results for each scenario. In fact, many online pricing guides will even reveal what your car is worth if considered in excellent, good, fair, or poor condition. This overall snapshot of values can be used to help you decide whether to haggle or lose a deal over the condition of your car. In other words, if the dealer is offering to accept your car as a trade in good condition and you feel strongly that the car is in excellent condition, the value results may indicate a difference of such an insignificant amount that it may not be worth haggling over.

Quick Tips for Making the Car as Valuable to the Buyer as It Is to the Seller

If trading your car in at a dealership, cosmetic touch ups, such as those listed below, will usually will not add value to your car. However, when dealing with an individual in a private sale, these tips can make a big difference. Keep in mind, though, that the price of the repair, or touch up, should not exceed the value it adds to your car.

  • Keep all repair and maintenance records up to date.
  • Always maintain the condition and basic upkeep of your car. This includes oil changes, exterior washes, carpet care, and leather cleaner on the interior.
  • Get rid of odors with an air freshener designed specifically for automobiles.
  • If the car is especially unkempt, consider having it professionally detailed.
  • Replace worn, missing, or damaged floor mats with new, inexpensive mats.
  • Consider repairing loose headliners.
  • Repair and broken glass or cracked windshields.
  • Remove any bumper stickers or specialty tags.

Important Reminders

Always know what your car is worth before discussing the sale or trade with other parties. The dealership will often value a car at a significantly lower rate than the car is actually worth. Obviously, this is an attempt to make as much money on the deal as possible. Work as hard to save money as the dealership works to make money.

For a private sale, have a Carfax report available. Strangers are often suspicious, particularly if the deal seems too good to be true. The potential purchaser might think that the car was previously wrecked or otherwise damaged, so presenting a Carfax report may be helpful in this situation.

Your car may not sell at the price you think it’s worth. If the car does not sell after being listed for reasonable amount of time, decide whether you should take it off the market or reduce your price. Just because the car is valued at a price does not mean it will sell for that price. Factors such as the economy, similar cars listed in the area, and dealership promotions and rebates will have an impact on how easily your car sells.

You can find other ways of answer the question how much is my car worth here, and also here: how much is my car worth.

Ray T. Lewis always tries to get the best price he can when selling a car or truck.

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