Home Sweet Home

Home sweet home. I was born in the small town of Columbia, Mississippi. My family lived thirteen miles outside of Columbia in the community of Improve. It was the best place to grow up. (Note: natives pronounce it IM-prove not improve.)

In my youth, I had fun playing outside, riding my bike, and running barefoot. As I entered my teens, I could not wait to leave. I had grown tired of the smallness of it all – the town itself and the minds of its people.  I knew that there was more to life, and I was determined to experience it.

After my college days, I moved to Nashville in mid-1987. From the very first day, I loved it. I had the joy and privilege of living there for almost twenty-seven years before moving back to Columbia in 2013. The purpose was to help my mom who was struggling to live on her own due to a stroke she suffered in 2012. Little could I predict that our purpose would grow exponentially over the next ten years.

It was one of those reminders of ‘never say never’ moments. I swore when I hit I59N in July of 1987, I’d not live in Mississippi again. Yet here I was again. I’ve often said that only my mother could have gotten me back here.

What has unfolded in these years is a huge surprise. Somewhere along the way I have fallen in love with Mississippi, again, or maybe for the first time.

Let me share some of the good things about my state. Not only is it a beautiful state full of forests, gardens, and wildlife, it has some of the best food you’ll find. In the north part of the state, you have Oxford, Clarksdale, and Starkville. That area of our state is deep in the blues and literary genius.

Come further down to the southern part of the state and you have the beauty of Natchez and Vicksburg, both on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River. 

On your way to the Gulf, stop in Hattiesburg and Laurel. Thanks to Erin and Ben Napier, they have put that area on the map. Eat at one of Robert St. John’s restaurants in Hattiesburg, and then head on up to Laurel and visit Ben and Erin’s Mercantile.

Still further, you hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast that sits between Mobile on one side and New Orleans on the other. Seafood, sandy beaches, and art museums up and down the coast.

If you come to my hometown of Columbia, you will find some of the best burgers, po-boys, and catfish, and if you are lucky, you can see one of our white squirrels. Not an albino squirrel, but an honest-to-God white squirrel. 

You cannot bypass how many talented people come from Mississippi. Here are a few names that you will recognize:

Elvis 

Morgan Freeman

Oprah

B.B. King

Faith Hill

Eudora Welty

William Faulkner

Tennessee Williams

James Earl Jones

Jimmy Buffett

Conway Twitty

Robin Roberts (Good Morning, America host)

Muddy Waters

Robert Johnson

Bo Diddley

John Grisham

Kathryn Stockett (wrote ‘The Help’)

Shelby Foote

Margaret Walker

Jerry Rice

Brett Favre

Archie Manning( (Peyton and Eli’s dad)

Sela Ward 

LeAnn Rimes

There is more, but you get the point. Creativity grows here. Some of the greatest art in the world was created during heartache and turmoil. Mississippi has definitely had its share of that, but through those dark times, a kernel of hope rises. The people here are resilient and know what it is like to suffer. Listen to Muddy Waters or Robert Johnson play and you can hear the echo of longing. Read the words of Eudora Welty or Shelby Foote and you will understand hope.

Some other facts that are worth noting are the first heart and lung transplants that happened right here in Mississippi at the University Medical Center. The lung transplant happened in 1963 by Dr. James D. Hardy. The following January 1964, the first heart transplant, also by Dr. Hardy and his team.

My favorite root beer of all time began in Biloxi by NOLA native, Edward Charles Edmond. He developed Barq root beer – the ONLY root beer in my opinion. Thank you, Edward from the bottom of my glass.

Seniors 65 years and older, or the disabled are exempt from property taxes. This means Mississippi is a great place to retire.

Imagine my surprise to realize that my heart has developed a love of this place. I never intended to stay, and we may still not, only time will tell. What I do know is that I am happy here. When I left all those years ago, I needed to see something more. I’m forever grateful that I got that opportunity. It made me a more open and well-rounded person. The town is still small, and sadly, so are some of the thought processes, but I also see much more. I see signs of hope. Perhaps people like me are part of that hope.

The state of Mississippi has notoriously been the butt of jokes far and wide. We are always ranked the lowest in the nation for education, economic growth, tolerance, on and on. Do we have issues? Serous issues? Yes. I dare anyone in the other 49 states to tell me that everything is 100% perfect in their state. Do we need improvements? Absolutely, and I believe there is a shift taking place. I hope to be able to see Mississippi rise above its past in my lifetime. If not mine, my granddaughter’s. It angers me now when I hear others put the old girl down. I want to ask them if they have spent any time here at all? Then I would challenge them to come for a visit. I’m arrogant enough to think I could help change their opinion.

I’m halfway through writing The Red Chair.  I was given a literary map of Mississippi as a gift from a professor that I worked for at the University of Southern when I made the move to Nashville in the late 80s. Since that time, I have dreamed of one day having my name placed on that map over Columbia. Who knows? Maybe it will happen.  After all, anything is possible, especially if you are from Mississippi.