Southern by birth~Southern by the grace of God~ Tried and True Carolina Girl

As you may have guessed I am very proud of my southern heritage, either that or I have listened to Alabama's song "The South's Gonna Rise Again" one too many times in the last few days; in my case, it would be both. I have to admit it has stirred my southern pride, not that it took much stirring to get that pot boiling; it is always at a low simmer. I come from a long line of true southern belles and gentlemen, having ancestors going back over eleven generations just in South Carolina, and having family that fought in the Civil War. I am proud to say that I am a Southerner and all it entails.

Childhood Summer days spent at the beach,

Summer days spent barefoot walking through soft grass,

Splashing in the puddles after a good rain,

(my sister)

Summer nights spent catching lightning bugs in jars

(we don't call them fireflies in the south),

mud pies, hay rides, family reunions, Easter dresses, watermelon, barbecues (knowing the distinct difference between eating barbecue and having a barbecue), and all the things that make a southern childhood special. Being a true southern woman is so much more than that though: it is unfailing good manners, maintaining both your class and composure in the face of great trial and tribulation, pride in your ancestry, knowing the fine art of entertaining, knowing how to whip up a meal that will leave them wanting more, knowing how to be both soft and strong, understanding that your greatest joys in life come from family, not being afraid to have a strong faith in God, making sure to always make the most of every moment you have, enjoying and savoring even the simplest things in life, not judging a book by its cover, knowing that beauty and grace have more to do with inner beauty and the way you carry yourself than anything else, making sure to always protect both your character and your word, being comfortable with your femininity and not apologizing to anyone for it, finding just the right balance of beauty and intelligence, and using your feminine wiles to catch and keep YOUR MAN!

Here is the man I caught, Think that is good, look at this one

(ooooo how I love a man in uniform)

I make sure he is pampered and well taken care of; in the South, we believe in stroking our men's ego. We know how important it is to let our men know that we are glad they are MEN! We as Southern women are very comfortable in the role we play; we love being women, and have no desire to be anything else! We walk beside our men, not behind, but we still look to them for guidance, as they look to us. A man who has captured a Southern woman's heart knows the prize he has won, and he treats her accordingly!

I have even more pride in being a true Southern woman when I contemplate about the Southern women that are and have been in my life, the ones who have taught me the fine art of being a Southern belle, even in this day and time.

First is my mother, a.k.a. Mama; she has taught me how you can be both incredibly intelligent (she most definitely is) and be feminine at the same time. She taught me how to achieve the balance of beauty and brains, and she taught me that what you put into life is what matters the most. My mama taught me to be passionate about life; she taught me to dig deep into my soul and find the things that make me feel the most alive, the things that bring me the greatest happiness. She also taught me about resiliency; she taught me how to look to my inner strength to find solutions. Mama has taught me that what I think of myself matters more than what other people think of me; she taught me that as long as I was happy with the way I was living and was being true to myself, then it didn't matter what others might think. My mama has always taught me to know and remember who I am; her constant advice to me as I was leaving the house was, "Remember who you are!" It's advice I still try to follow everyday.

Next, is my granny, my mama's mother, who sadly is no longer in this life. My granny taught me about selfless love, giving to others for the sake of giving, not to get noticed or praised. She taught me what it means to always carry yourself with style; my granny is one of the classiest women I have ever known. My granny taught me the importance of laughter and joy; she taught me that you don't have to have a lot to be happy. As long as you are surrounded by the ones you love, you have the greatest treasure in the world. She also taught me what it means to have an unfailing faith in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father; in the last days of her life, her body racked with pain and sickness, her faith never failed. God and Jesus were her constant companions, and through her trials, she held her head up high and carried herself with dignity and pride. She is a true steel magnolia!

Last, but not least, is my grandmother, my 84 year old grandmother I must add. My grandmother has taught me what it means to take the bull and life by the horns. She has also taught me what it means to be a steel magnolia, both of her parents died when she was young, she put herself through nursing school, and she used the fine art of playing hard to get to capture the heart of Edward Crolley, my handsome granddaddy. He was the love of her life, and when he died 20 years ago, her life could have been over. She could have let herself be consumed by sadness and grief, but she didn't. My grandmother taught me that it is okay to grieve, but then you need to get up, brush yourself off, and keep going. Grandmama has taught me to never stop learning and to make the most of every moment you have in this life. She takes line dance lessons (they go dance for the "old folks" at the nursing home :)- to quote my grandmama; did I mention she is 84), she goes on excursions to the mountains with her Golden Girls gang, she travels to Africa, Spain, you name it, she has been there (probably in the last few years in fact), she e-mails, and now she even has a facebook account. She never has and never will let life get her down; she is a fighter, and that has been an incredible example to me!

So as you can see, being a southern belle has nothing to do with being frail and weak, as so often is the belief, but it has all to do with being strong, courageous, graceful, polite, faithful, and feminine; we face life head on with dignity and pride, and do our best to enjoy every minute!

I am proud to say that I am Southern by birth, Southern by the grace of God, and a tried and true Carolina Girl!!!!!!!!!!!