My Hometown USA begins

My Hometown USA

For over a decade I have been writing a weekly newspaper column titled My Hometown Column. As the printed page begins to slip away, so does the printed column. I have threatened for a couple of years to turn my column into a blog, so this is my effort of procrastination.

My hometown is not just a geological destination which represents my specific location and origin, but rather its a sense of being, a place that resides more in our hearts. It is something we all share, a hometown, a community, a place we call home, whether we live there in the present or in the past.

My journey has brought me miles away from home. Yet, as the world has shrunk, our nation is in itself a hometown. I have a social media hometown, via Face Book, Twitter, or plain email. We discuss the weather, the local gossip, who died and who is in the news as if we were standing over a giant water-cooler chatting about the subject du jour.

Although my friends are in Seattle, back home in South Mississippi and New Orleans, in Lake Placid, New York or Naples and Key West Florida via the world of virtual hometown I can listen to conversations, respond to statements. Its as if we were all in the same living room watching the same football game or American Idol.

Did you hear that note?  What was that ref thinking? WHO DAT!

I represent in some ways the small town philosophy, yet an open mind to the more progressive views because this is not avenue to point fingers and vent. This is about reflection and yes, opinion, but I choose, like Larry David of Curb Your Enthusiasm to not be selective in who I may critique. Larry chose to insult all, so I choose to pick on both sides of the issues because no one and no side is completely in the right.

Life has given me its challenges, from them I gain some insights, some knowledge and hopefully wisdom which for some reason I think I must pass along.

Widowed at 34, raising two sons, I have met some of those challenges with some imperfect choices, and with some surprising strength of character. My decades on this Earth have shown me three major catastrophic events in which nature has hit hard.

I experienced a Category 5 hurricane, Camille, went through the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and then as I moved away from the coastline, went through the worse tornado outbreak in Alabama history in which F-4's and F-5's and hundreds of other lessor tornadoes zipped all around me, destroying viciously the surrounding neighborhoods of my new hometown of Huntsville.

I have changed professions, relocated and remarried, so my stress-or chart has me in the grave fairly soon. Oh, and by no means, lets not forget birthing 14 pounds of twin boys while pushing 40.

A mother of four boys should have a special place in Heaven, and that is a JS...just sayin.

Hometown theology, you should relate, whether you agree with all I state, or just want to see how the other side thinks....whatever your motivation, I hope you will visit and stay awhile.

Happily ever after, that's what I am working on, the present is ever and spiritually, is the after. I am a work in progress.

I hope that you will join me as I spread the thoughts and advice and life reflections of my writings.

As a lover of the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, I consider every day, 'another adventure.'