Now let's finish our southern tradition countdown!
Ten Southern Traditions We Need to Keep Alive:
6. Writing thank-you notes: I touched on this earlier this year. You can read the post here. It's polite, it's proper, and it's mandatory. Enough said.
7. Knowing the basics of homemaking: If you have been a reader of mine for a while now, you'll know that I quit my career as a 5th grade teacher to stay home. (No, I do not have children. I think my husband alone is worth me taking care of myself and our home.) When I first became a homemaker I set out to learn the basics- sewing, knitting, baking, canning etc. Our grandmothers knew these crafts because they had to know them. Making do was needed to survive and save money. Thankfully we are now blessed with abundance. But that does not mean we should let these precious arts go by the wayside. My great-grandma did these to make do, and I'm doing them to make a home a home.
8. Slowing down: Oh, this is such a biggie. And I constantly have to remind myself of this. The busyness of life has seeped into our southern culture and we are now in the proverbial 'rat race.' We no longer sit on our porches with a glass of sweet tea, waving at anyone who walks by- we don't have the time. In between work, and the gym, and PTA meetings, the kid's ballet, soccer, and football practices, and squeezing dinner in there somewhere, we've lost the art of slowing down.
On our honeymoon in St. Lucia, Southern Hubby and I enjoyed sumptuous feasts each night at our resort's restaurant. The food was divine. But we were a bit thrown off by the fact that we had to wait at least an hour and half (sometimes more!) for the food to arrive. It was like they took our order and then went to take a nap before they turned it in to the chef! After a couple nights of this, we were starting to get miffed! But looking around at the European guests, we noticed they weren't irritated at all- they had glass after glass of wine, all the while indulging in stories of that day's adventures. They were savoring their dining experience. It didn't matter when the food got there- they had family and friends to talk to for the meantime and that was just fine.
In our go-go-go! world, Southern Hubby and I were used to being seated, having appetizers, dinner and maybe a desert in under an hour. (maybe a little more if you had to pay the check ;) What we thought was horrible service was actually the Saint Lucian norm- enjoying your company, savoring your meal, and visiting long after the plates are gone.
That night, we walked away full stomachs and a wonderful lesson.
9. Pearls, pearls and more pearls!- I know y'all are all with me on this one! 10. Southern Hospitality: We in the south delight in entertaining! We live for parties and welcoming people into our homes.
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
- Hebrews 13:2
We Southerners take this very seriously- our home is your home. We must remember, though, that being a good hostess has nothing to do with the quality of your silver and china, or even what you serve at your table- it's more about graciousness of your giving and making special memories. Conversation is a verra close second.
(Did y'all read, "Devil in the Junior League"? Based in Texas, the main character, Frede, has our typical Texan drawl and it is a hoot! "Well, bless your heart," and "verra, verras" are sprinkled throughout the story!)
Happy Hump day to my lovely readers!
xoxo Y
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