I was describing my grandmother to someone over the phone the other night and to my dismay, all the words that came to mind felt painfully inadequate. My sweet, genteel, compassionate, and infinitely generous “Pat Pat” carries herself with grace, yet her quick and biting sense of human creeps up while least expecting it, leaving one still giggling an hour later. I finally came to the conclusion that my grandmother is a true Southern lady….a Southern belle, if I may.
“Sloan, will you be a southern belle?” this boy asked me.
Hmmm…A belle? I hope so, but Southern?
Southern is not something I can just decide to turn into one day. Being Southern is an inherent nature and way of life. It encompasses a penchant for a slower pace of life, the irritating necessity for perfected manners, a “ya’ll” with just the right amount of drawl, and the ability to soften an uneasy room with an effortless smile and, of course, a pitcher of sweet tea.
"But here is a truth: Look into a a Southern heart and there at its
core, in the secret place where we have our beings, you will find the roots
of home." –Anne River Siddons (Southern Living January 1990)
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