I am from the South- as in the Southern US. It is in my bones, in my heart. No matter where I am or how long I am there, I will always, ALWAYS, be a Southerner. There is something different, something special, something me, about the South. The people have serious "Southern Hospitality" and that gets to be part of you. They are also very polite and use the words "mam" and "sir" with yes, no, and everything else too :). You can walk in a grocery store and have an hour conversation with someone you have never met before. When you drive down the street, people wave. People feel connected and family is HUGE! Not that there are lots of kids in a family, necessarily, but that you are part of an extended family who cares about you and is involved in your life. Word travels fast in the South- due to that family connection :). There are lots of trees and green, which is a very wonderful thing. And life is good.
I live in the West, with my family now. I married a Western boy and we got stuck here- work and all. Life is good in the West too- just different. People are different, but they are still good. It became a quest for me to find a neighborhood where people wave as you drive by, and after almost 13 years, I found it! So we're not moving :). I love the West, the mountains, the things you can do to be a part of nature. And family is here too. Thank goodness! As wonderful a place as it is, and that I know I am suppposed to be here, I am still a Southerner.
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In church last week, we sat by a lady who had just moved to the area. We began talking with her and found out she was from Georgia- close to home :). Ah, Good memories... Anyway, when we got home, my husband said, with every bit of respect, "You could tell she was from the South; she looked like a Southern lady." I am so grateful I am part of that category. I thanked him for knowing that there was a difference, because that is what I am, a Southern lady. Plain and simple, through and through.
