Southern Values

So yesterday was Mother's Day! A day set aside to show any mother figure in your life how much they mean to you. I didn't get a chance to get my mother a gift, but last night we talked for a few hours as I sat in her bed and that meant more to her than a gift could. These last few days have been crazy for me, filled with nonstop traveling and packing. Thank God that I'm home for a little while.

Being from the South, I have grown up with many values that I hold near to my heart. My great-grandmother was a woman that cared for everyone, even if you weren't her own. She took care of the whole neighborhood and always had a warm spirit. This carried over into my grandmother and my mother. I was taught the simple southern values that every southern girl knows by heart. You should always keep God first and treat others the way that you would want to be treated, along with others. This weekend as I traveled to my cousin's college graduation, I noticed how kind and generous people are in the South. Southern women and men just have this charm about them that is hard to describe and hard to duplicate. The simple hug when being introduced to someone for the first time shows hospitality and gives a warmness in my soul. Saying y'all makes me smile because represents love; love for everyone even if you don't like them. Having your foods either fried or with barbecue sauce shows that there is love, even in food. I even witnessed a village raising a child and being able to see the final product of it.

One thing that I love to see is a southern man and not just any man. A southern man is a man who loves and shows respect to his parents and family members, never disrespects women, is always careful of what he says in a woman's presence, dresses nice, goes to church, and most of all respects himself. A southern man is basically the formula for what every man should be. Guys today seem so occupied with getting the fast girls, money, cars, and clothes. They disrespect women and as long as the woman allows it, they continue. Guys are not learning how to be men in today's society. They want the easy way out of life and life isn't easy. Its filled with obstacles and battles to make you a stronger person. If all guys looked to the southern man in how to act and treat women, then maybe guys can stop looking for love in all the wrong places. Instead of talking about the kind of woman that they want, guys will start to attract the type of woman they want.

So back to southern values.... "Love your neighbor as yourself." That is the greatest southern value along with respect.

Let me know what y'all think.
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