The joys of being Southern.

In the south we celebrate every occasion with food.

If you die, your family gets fed well. If you have a baby, don't worry about cooking until they graduate high school.

Usually, during this ritual you will receive Poppy Seed Chicken, Chicken Spaghetti, and an excessive amount of cakes. I personally love it when I receive a good homemade coconut cake. That is a huge plus for me.

In the south we know that y'all is an abbreviation for you all. I even had a teacher that added that one to her list, right along with can't, isn't, don't. "You Guys" just doesn't fit when you are talking to a group of ladies in big hats.

Speaking of which, In the south we like it BIG. Big hats, Big Hair bows, Big teased hair, Big Pearls. 

In the south its okay to take your shoes off at a friends house, and make yourself at home. That's a sign of a great friendship, when you can just be relaxed and cuddle up on the couch or the porch swing and talk about your problems, your life, or that friend of a friend who is going through all sorts of things.

In the south we know that tea is served at its best when it is brewed then steeped then poured into a gallon pitcher, added 1 3/4 cups of SUGAR (not the yellow or the pink stuff) and then served over ice. If we are trying to make a lasting impression on  you, you might even get a sprig of mint and a slice of lemon.

In the south we respond with "Bless your Heart" and "I do declare". 

In the South, family is a huge part of your life. From your momma, and big daddy, to your aunts and uncles and cousins and 2nds and 3rds and 4ths. In a true Southern home, you know every detail about Aunt Bertha's son, Mack's, daughter Ellie's, 3rd grade boy, Joshua and his lack of behaving and how he had to go out and pick his switch last Sunday after bible school. You just know, and you care. 

In the south it is Football in the Fall and Baseball in the Summer. You select your team and you support them proudly. We ring our cowbells, wear the colors, we spend countless hours in places with names like "The Grove", we shout things like "ROLL TIDE" and "WAR EAGLE" and don't feel out of place. Its our thing. We instill it in our children and make sure they grow up with the attitude, "THAT IS MY SCHOOL" Sometimes, we even start instilling these traditions in our children from day 1. There are those diehard few that paint the nursery REBEL RED, AUBURN ORANGE, OR MSU MAROON. Those special ones have the LSU tiger mobile, the bama  onesie, and know the fight song before they know their ABC's. Its the south. We can do that.

In the south we learn to fish from our Daddy and our Momma A true southern girl can kick back on the bank, while barefoot and bait her own pole. We begin fishing early in the morning and stop around the time the mosquitos start to bite. We learn to hunt, to live off the land, and to drive the 4-wheeler. Because at least once in your Southern life, you will need to know these things.

In the south we know the art of smocking and monogramming. And we have at least 3 of each in our closets each season.

In the south we treasure the 2 weeks of spring and salivate on the 3 months of summer. Any excuse to get out the flip-flops, we celebrate.

In the south we attend fish frys, crawfish boils, cookie swaps, and grill outs monthly. Any excuse to fellowship and eat. We do.

In the south it is important to us to say Yes'mam and Yes'sir. Even if the person is just a few years older. If they are in charge of any situation, we respect them with these mannerisms. 

In the south we greet with hugs, pray out loud at restaurants before meals, help our neighbors...even if we don't know them, share the gospel with anyone that will listen, support each other, because it is the Southern thing to do.

The joys of being southern. 

But even with the joys of being southern, sometimes our "south" is different from other's "south" 

In my south....

In my south, I can refer to Turnips and Biscuits and receive texts that say "I am praying for you." Because people know that when those two come out, something is stirring in the air.

In my south, I can walk down the street and smile and say hi to every person I pass and 9 out of 10 will do the same. Because in my south, we see past the color of someone skin and we treat them the way we want to be treated.

In my south, I can read a tragic story on our local news' facebook page and then read the numerous comments from strangers, stating how they will pray for that family. Because in my south, we do that. We pray for the hurt, the lost, the needed.

In my south, life is good. Life is crazy. Life gets messy. But it is my south. 

I can look around and see things here that others choose not to see. 

I can see all the good that my south brings. 

I can enjoy my grits and my fried chicken, and my peas with a ham hock in it. Because its my south.

 I can raise my barefoot, big bow wearing girls to hunt and to fish and to be a lady all at the same time. Because in my south, women can be anything.

In my south, I can find the love of my life in an unexpected place, marry him a few months later, have amazing children with him, and know that he is my partner and we share the same values. In my south, husbands love their wives and their children. they are the providers and the head of the household.

Yes, my south might have it quirks but its my south, and it is one of the greatest joys of being Southern.