Life took on a new meaning Tuesday morning. Life became moreprecious to each American. Life, often taken for granted, can besnuffed out in a heartbeat.

We are only here on earth for a little while so we should makethe best of it. One-hundred years of life is but a twinkling of aneye in God’s eternal scheme and many of us don’t live half thattime.

It is mind-boggling to watch television and see the aftermath ofthe terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York. What atragic, senseless loss of life.

Like the rest of America, we mourn the death of so many innocentpeople. Millions upon millions of lives have been affected, changedforever. Children must grow up without parents who died in theinferno.

It is a bitter, painful lesson for America. This nation, nomatter how strong and powerful, is not immune from terrorism. Somefolks would recommend building a tall, steel wall around ourborders. That still wouldn’t be enough protection.

For sure, the terrorists must be caught and punished. That’s thehard part. These cowardly acts are instigated by shadowy leaderswho hide in caves and under rocks. They are labeled with names likejackals, snakes and worse.

Certainly, God will punish them for their heinous acts. Mankindis impatient. Revenge is on the minds and hearts of most Americansand rightly so.

President George W. Bush said America would not yield toterrorism. Freedom continues to ring from the the Atlantic to thePacific and from the Canadian border to Mexico. Other nations envyour wealth and independence.

Americans are encouraged to get on with their lives and returnto normal, whatever normal is these days. You can’t help but wonderand worry about when the next terrorist act will take place.

My 10-year-old granddaughter, Kallie Rose, lives in Gulfportwith her big sister, Jessica who is 13; and their parents. After aprayer meeting Tuesday night at church, Kallie Rose asked if shecould go outside and play.

“Mommy, if I see a plane, I’ll come inside real quick.”

How does a child deal with the deadly terrorist acts seen ontelevision.?

Her life has been changed forever, too.

Terrorists thrive on disrupting normal activity. President Bushand his associates are stressing the importance of resumingday-to-day routines. That includes playing those football andsoftball games on the schedule here in the Magnolia State.

Friday nights are reserved for high school football. Most juniorcolleges play football on Thursday nights. Professor Hoopla B.S.,usually makes his predictions known in Thursday’s newspaper.

There were several major upsets last weekend, especially on thehigh school scene. Hoopla posted an 11-7-0 record and promises todo better. Here’s his preview of the winners.

Co-Lin at East Mississippi: It looks like a tremendous defensivestruggle tonight in Scooba. East Miss. 9-7.

Mendenhall at Brookhaven: It’s a cat fight on King Field. Tigersby a whisker. Mendenhall 22-21.

Prentiss Christian School at Brookhaven Academy: The Saintsboast a strong defense and the Cougars have a strong offense.Brookhaven Academy 7-6.

Loyd Star at Franklin County: Should be a knock-down battle inLouie Mullins Stadium. Loyd Star 18-14.

Bogue Chitto at Richton: Watch the Bobcats climb to 3-0 on theseason. Bogue Chitto 20-10.

Enterprise at West Lincoln: Yellow Jackets unleash a powerfulrushing attack. Enterprise 25-12.

Wesson at Prentiss: Unbeaten Cobras must beware of an ambush onthe road. Wesson 14-12.

Magee at Lawrence County: Trojans are ambushed. Lawrence County18-10.

Hazlehurst at Port Gibson: Indians win their second straightgame. Hazlehurst 22-20.

Hillcrest Christian at Copiah Academy: The road doesn’t get anyeasier for the winless Colonels. Hillcrest 35-17.

West Marion at North Pike: The Jaguars are coping with a toughnon-division schedule. West Marion 24-12.

Tylertown at McComb: These Chiefs are for real and they remainunbeaten. Tylertown 14-7.

Warren Central at South Pike: The Eagles almost author an upset.Warren Central 21-20.

Oak Forest at Parklane: Buccaneers are favored in District 4-AAbut they don’t have enough muscle to handle the Pioneers. Parklane28-10.

Vanderbilt at Ole Miss: Rebels enjoy kicking off in the morning.Ole Miss 17-7.

BYU at Mississippi State: Two high-octane offenses collide onScott Field. State 28-20.

Southern Miss at Alabama: Can the Golden Eagles win two straightin Birmingham? Southern Miss 21-13.

In other Magnolia State games, Jackson State will outscoreTennessee State 38-28, Alcorn State will surprise Arkansas-PineBluff 14-12, Delta State will whip West Alabama 31-7, AlabamaA&M will edge Valley State 18-14, Belhaven will eludeCumberland 17-14 and Mississippi College will shave East TexasBaptist 14-12. Millsaps has an open date to enjoy last week’sovertime victory.