"To be born a Southern woman is to be made aware of your distinctiveness. And with it, the rules. The expectations. These vary some, but all follow the same basic template, which is, fundamentally, no matter what the circumstance, Southern women make the effort. Which is why even the girls in the trailer parks paint their nails. And why overstressed working moms still bake three dozen homemade cookies for the school fund-raiser. And why you will never see Reese Witherspoon wearing sweatpants. Or Oprah take a nap.
For my mother, being Southern means handwritten thank-you notes, using a rhino horn’s worth of salt in every recipe, and spending a minimum of twenty minutes a day in front of her makeup mirror so she can examine her beauty in “office,” “outdoor,” and “evening” illumination. It also means never leaving the house with wet hair. Not even in the case of fire. Because wet hair is low-rent. It shows you don’t care, and not caring is not something Southern women do, at least when it comes to our hair."
I love while traveling for CRC when people ask where I am from. I say in my sweetest voice "I'm from Alabama." and there is something about that southern draw keeps them hanging on my every word.
Working on my college thesis and this whole flower thing was super tough. I had my piers and professors saying I wasn't being "unique enough" or that "your work is too predictable." It hurt me to the core because my work and my flowers are who I am; girlie, a little different and totally southern. I had to hold my head high and stand up for who I am, what I believe, and what my work stands for. God made the way I am and gave me the desire to create what I create.
He gave this verse to me this summer.
"Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords, strength your stakes.
Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated"
Isaiah 54: 2-4
The Lord has something to say through me and I take such joy in that. If I would have listened to those people in college putting me down for being too "sorority girl" CRC wouldn't be where it is today.
Being a silly Southern girl is who I am. My love for monograms and thank you notes will never change and I thank the Lord for that every day!!
images via pinterest and CRC
be who you are leavie lovas.
