Southern women appreciate their natural assets:
 Clean skin.
 A winning smile.
 That unforgettable Southern drawl.

 Southern women know their manners:
 'Yes, ma'am.'
 'Yes, sir.'
 'Why, no, Billy!'

 Southern women have a distinct way with fond expressions:
 'Y'all come back!'
 'Well, bless your heart.'
 'Drop by when you can.'
 'How's your Momma?'


 Southern women know their summer weather report:
 Humidity
 Humidity
 Humidity

 Southern women know their vacation spots:
 The beach
 The rivuh
 The crick

 Southern women know the joys of June, July, and August:
 Colorful hi-heel sandals
 Strapless sun dresses
 Iced sweet tea with mint
 Straw hat s and big sunglasses


 Southern women know everybody's first name:
 Honey
 Darlin'
 Shugah

 Southern women know the movies that speak to their hearts:
 Fried Green Tomatoes
 Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
 Steel Magnolias
 Gone With The Wind

 Southern women know their religions:
 Baptist
 Methodist
 Football

 Southern women know their country breakfasts:
 Red-eye gravy
 Grits
 Eggs
 Country ham
 Mouth-watering homemade biscuits with momma's homemade jelly

 Southern women know their cities dripping with Southern charm:
 Chawl'stn
 S'vanah
 Foat Wuth
 N'awlins
 Addlanna

 Southern women know their elegant gentlemen:
 Men in uniform.
 Men in tuxedos
 Rhett Butler

 Southern girls know their prime real estate:
 The Mall
 The Country Club
 The Beauty Salon

 Southern girls know the 3 deadly sins:
 Having bad hair and nails
 Having bad manners
 Cooking bad food

Southern girls know men may come and go, but friends are fahevah !


 More Suthen-ism's:
 Only a Southerner knows the difference between a hissie fit and a 
conniption fit , and that you don't 'HAVE' them, you 'PITCH' them.
 _____

 Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, 
peas, beans, etc., make up 'a mess.'
 _____

 Only a Southerner can show or point out to you the general direction of 
'yonder.'
 _____

 Only a Southerner knows exactly how long 'directly' is, . as in: 'Going 
to town, be back directly.'
 _____

 Even Southern babies know that 'Gimme some sugar' is not a request for 
the white, granular sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl 
in the middle of the table.
 _____

 All Southerners know exactly when 'by and by' is. They might not use 
the term, but they know the concept well.
 _____

 Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace 
for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a 
big bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor's trouble is a real 
crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin!
 _____

 Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between 'right near' 
and 'a right far piece.' They also know that 'just down the road'can be 
1 mile or 20.
 _____

 Only a Southerner, both knows and understands, the difference between a 
redneck, a good ol' boy, and po' white trash.
 _____

 No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing 
turn signal is actually going to make a turn.
 _____

 A Southerner knows that 'fixin' can be used as a noun, a verb, or an 
adverb.
_____

 Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines, ... and when 
we're 'in line,' . we talk to everybody!
 _____

 Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're 
related, even if only by marriage.
 _____

 In the South, y'all is singular, all y'all is plural.
 _____

 Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them.
 _____

 Every Southerner knows tomatoes with eggs, bacon, grits, and coffee are 
perfectly wonderful; that red eye gravy is also a breakfast food; and 
that fried green tomatoes are not a breakfast food.
 _____

 When you hear someone say, 'Well, I caught myself lookin',' you know 
you are in the presence of a genuine Southerner!
 _____

 Only true Southerners say 'sweet tea', 'sweet milk', and 'light bread'. 
Sweet tea indicates the need for sugar and lots of it -- we do not like 
our tea unsweetened. 'Sweet milk' means you don't want buttermilk. And 
'Light bread' is white bread.
 _____

 And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old 
ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say,'Bless her heart' 
... and go your own way.
 _____

 To those of you who are still a little embarrassed by your Southerness: 
Take two tent revivals and a dose of sausage gravy and call me in the 
morning. Bless your heart!
 _____
 And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all 
this Southern stuff, ... bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin' to 
have classes on Southernness as a second language!
 _____

 And for those that are not from the South but have lived here for a 
long time, all y'all need a sign to hang on y'alls front porch that 
reads 'I ain't from the South, but I got here as fast as I could.'

 

Not a journal, just food for thought, inspiration and encouragement

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

The Serenity Prayer 

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.

When I was 13, love was the cutest boy in Jr. High , the captain of the football team, the boy with the best ID bracelet for going steady.

When I was 17 love was the guy with the hottest car who also had a part time job or generous parents and he could afford to take me out for a burger or pizza.

When I was 20 I discovered sex and love was the guy....ummmmm, well you know.

When I was 25 I discovered what a social creature I am and love was the guy that loved to go out dancing and have a few drinks and make me laugh. The great car and the"you know" was still important too.

When I was 28 and all my friends were falling in love and getting married, love was a man with all the aforementioned qualites plus, the potential to be a good provider and a good father to our children. This is where the trouble began. I was "in love" and he had all these qualities that completely overshadowed the red flags. Hence the saying ,"Love is blind". The rest is history and many lessons learned.

Then I had a child and I learned the meaning of unconditional love.

I know one thing.......being in love feels so good I can't imagine anyone not wanting that in their life. If only we could learn to think with our head instead of our heart (and other stuff).

I think that true love in a relationship is what comes after the "being in heat" part is over with. When he snores all night and wakes up in the morning with his hair looking like Bozo the clown....and she no longer shaves her legs every day or even really gives a damn that he hates the perfume she wears. This is when you make a conscious decision to love even though that "spark" is nowhere to be found. This is the love I long for much more that the newness of "being in love".  The love that is there when you've raised your kids, worked hard and reached retirement, survived the seemingly impossible challenges of life TOGETHER.  For me, this was the hardest part of divorce. Knowing that this dream was not going to happen and that at 50 yrs old, I'd have to start all over and revise my dream in so many ways.  But, life is grand and I'm still a few years away from retirement. I'm sure my dreams and requirements will change many times in the coming years. I do hope that God, in all his wisdom, will see fit to send an ole fart my way that likes old music, the beach, the lake, burning something on the grill,braving the youngsters to attend a concert, makes a decent cup of coffee and is willing to bring me a cup first thing in the morning to enjoy while he takes me on a leisurely boat ride on a still quiet lake. Oh yeah.......and if he has a hot car and still loves to (you know) then all the better.....HA !

Heres to love

Jane