I’m sitting here at my computer in small house outside the city limits in Cleveland, Mississippi. I’ve lived in this house for 22 years, and if you hang a right at the end of our road and drive about 4 miles, you can find where the house I was born in used to stand. In other words, I have lived in this area for 34 years, or my entire life.
Mississippi has gotten a bad rep over the years, and been the brunt of many jokes. We are said to be backwards, stupid and hicks. But you know what? If being the brunt of a few jokes is the price I have to pay to live here, then joke away!
I love the Delta. This is my home, and I hope it always will be. I have traveled to quite a few of the US states, and have found no place I would rather live. I love living in a place where we still pull over as a funeral passes, to show respect for the family. At times like that, race ceases to exist, and it is a simple matter of respect. Whites pull over for blacks, blacks for whites. For one brief moment, we come together as one.
I love living in a place where when you meet or pass another car on the road, you wave, whether you know them or not. I love living in a place, where, if you have car trouble, you know without a doubt that someone will stop soon to help, and not just pass you by.
I love living in a place where the land is so flat, you can see the cotton and rice fields for miles. I love living in a place where, on warm spring days, you can practically watch the daffodils bloom right before your eyes on the roadside.
I love the smells in the air. The honey-suckles, daffodils, roses, and azalea bushes permeate the air with their sweet scent. I love driving down a country road with my windows open, smelling the soil from the fields. I love the way you know can tell it is going to rain before the clouds form, because the scent in the air turns fresher, cleaner.
I love that we all know our neighbors, and look out for each other, and each other’s children. I love living in a place where, for the most part, we all still worship God, and aren’t afraid to get on our knees and pray to Him, openly and honestly.
I love the South, and especially the Mississippi Delta. I have every intention of raising my family here, and I never ever want to leave. This is my home, and these are my people.
If you would like to learn more about the Mississippi Delta, you can visit my website dedicated to it at: https://geocities.com/sunshine_rm/Main.html
And ’’Y’all’’ have a great day!