As a child I grew up in southern Mississippi. I am a son of the South, born in Texas and raised in the most typically southern state in the union. I am unashamed of my heritage and embrace all that is southern. The good, the bad, the hard to bear and the even harder to bare history and stigma that goes with it. Where I live life was never easy for the early settlers and difficulties continue to plague those that are determined to stay. I am determined to stay. I have visited and lived in other states and other countries, but my heart and my soul have been inexorably drawn back to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and like the continual ebb and flow of the Gulf's tide I have left and returned to the shores of my home.

   There are obligations that come with being from the South. Loyalty, honesty, and sincerity are just a few of those. Loyalty to home in spite of the tarnished history of the South. Honesty about our past and its relevance to the present and its threat to the future. Sincerity about our feelings for home and family and friends. This region has been ruled by no less than eight sovereign entities. It has been populated by virtually every race of people there is. It has been embroiled in controversy, wracked by war, and decimated by natural disaster. For some reason it continues to draw people looking for a new beginning, or a place to live out their final days.

   The people here are personable almost to a fault. A typical greeting from someone you barely know will include the phrase, "how's your mom and them?", or some derivation. They are sincere in their inquiry and will gladly respond to the same inquiry if it is offered. I have learned to view life through the eyes of Tennessee Williams, Faulkner, Weldy, Jimmy Buffet and the king himself Elvis Presley. The blues of the Delta tell our story. Our resilience is the legacy left to us by those that came before and it is the same legacy that we leave to those who will follow. Together we weather every storm and together we have rebuilt. With stubborn resolve that almost borders on foolishness we stay and persevere.

   Those are the traits that sustain me in difficult times. However, these same trials and tribulations that seem to be common to those from the south are the same reason that we unabashedly celebrate even the most mundane events. Festivals, carnival and religious observances anchor each community and mark the passing of the seasons. Pomp and circumstance accompany every major and minor event and reverence is expected and given whether it is your heritage involved or someone else's.Look around where you live. Explore your origins and boast about your home. These are the things that bring meaning to me. These are the things that give me a sense of place and provide comfort in the darkest of times. These are some of the things I hold close to me as I start over, over 50.