I pity the folks...

I pity the folks that do not know the solace and clarity that can be found in driving fast down a dirt road, windows down, with music blaring.

I pity the folks who will never know what it is like for a community to gather around you and cover you in love and support in a time of need or tragedy.

I pity the folks who will never know the nostalgia that comes with rocking on a front porch; or shelling a bucket of peas; or listening to an old Jerry Clower story.

I pity the folks that will never know what it’s like to live surrounded by uncles, aunts, and cousins.

I pity the folks who will never know the comfort of hearing rain beat down on a tin roof; a pound cake after a funeral; or that comes with wearing your grandmother’s apron.

I pity the folks that will never pass a watermelon field, or a tractor, on their way to town or to work.

I pity the folks that will never know what it’s like to have a story about you beat you home to your parents; or have a neighbor stop when they see you on the side of the road.

Yes, I pity the folks not being blessed to be raised in small towns all across the South. While, we may seem like hicks…there is surely something to be said about life ‘round here. It may be slow-paced, but in my mind, there is nothing closer to Heaven.