Red Beans and Cornbread

It's cold here in the South today. Getting up and around to get my girls off to school, I am beginning my first day off this week with some winter weather cooking planning. On today's agenda, red beans and cornbread. I also making some bread pudding so that the oven can chase the chill out of the air.

As I "cleaned" the red beans to add to the pot, the words of Annelle rang in my ears.


"This is in the freezes beautifully section of my cookbook, and I wanted to bring something that freezes beatuifully."

Steel Magnolias is one of my alltime favorite movies..........it defines completely what being a woman of the South is all about. I can identify with each of these ladies on different days and at different stages of my life. More and more, I feel like Ouisa or Clairee. The world has changed a great deal in the last 21 years since the movie came out.

With a confused and defensive approach, I want to spell out what I feel it means to be a woman of the South. More importantly, I feel I need to make a strong point to defend what is important to me. Yesterday, I heard the tragic story of Christina Taylor Green, the 9 year old girl who lost her life in Arizona this week. Hers is a story born of tragedy and ending in tragedy. I truly wept at the senseless of it all. This year marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and in these last 10 years, the beautiful world of Steel Magnolias has been systematically attacked from outside and within the USA.

My beans are now ready for the lid to go on and the temperature to be turned down.

As I shared the story of Christina with my family, Katie sarcastically commented that her mom's family probably owned an apple factory. Her tone alone set me off. She continued to explain that since the dad's family had a strong baseball legacy, Christina's "all American" upbringing would mean her mom's family dealt in apples..............Baseball and Apple Pie. I got it, but it was the tone that made me ask Katie why she had so much bitterness for people living the American dream. I stared in shame, in helplessness, in confusion, in anger...........I can't fathom why Katie is completely opposed to everything I hold sacred.

My brother then told me the story of Hailey Dunn, a 13 yr old missing from Colorado City, Texas. As I read the story, I listened to the comments about how if Hailey's parents were rich or well known then more would be done to locate Hailey. Playing devil's advocate, I approached the case like a true investigator and made my brother think of issues other than what the news has broadcast or what the news even has been told. So much of the Hailey case is focusing on the lack of an issued Amber Alert. With both Katie's sarcasm and my brother's comments about how the working class never get help, I asked why everyone was so unconcerned about the Green family.

Is this truly where we are?? That the loss of a life, even a 9 year old girl of seemingly "privileged" parents is dismissed?

Stating that he wished he had "privileged" parents and that he wished he had the opportunities the Green family had, I assured my younger brother he had the same opportunities each and every day.

We each have the opportunity to reach for the stars, to work for a higher good, to achieve greatness. The struggles along the way are normal for everyone. If you have not seen Gran Torino, watch it. Using it to illustrate my point..............here is this WWII veteran living the American dream........he has earned it. It is not the color of his skin that entitled him to what his life is, it is his own sacrifce and committement to an ideal.

An IDEAL..............each of us must have one. You must know what you believe in and what you would lay down your life for. My life has not been easy either. Many times along the way, I could've quit.......I could've let adversity or heartbreak keep me wallowing in self-pity. When I say BTDT ((been there, done that)), I speak from often violent and dangerous experience.

I work very hard for what I have...............a job I love, kids who inspire and amaze me daily, a diverse educational background, sincere and honest friends and great health. Most importantly, I have a strong and passionate relationship with my Savior. I am sooooo blessed.

Life is about wanting what you have and making the most of where you are at the current point/time you are at. Life is not about competing with others, blaming others for what you feel you don't have. Nor if life about allowing the popular "victimization" idealogy to invade your conscience and allow you to be so callous about life.

A true Southern woman is genteel................sweet and charming, slow to anger, loving and compassionate. She is also stronger than steel - hence steel magnolias. I know many people will equate Southern with white, but that is not true. Southern is not just about location but also about state of mind. Only confused extremists would ever take the ideal of southern and apply it to racial issues. Just like confused extremists taking the tragedy of the Arizona shooting to the extreme of blaming Sarah Palin. Seriously?

It is time to move beyond all the hype and controversary.

I heard the story of Christina on K-LOVE, and when I googled her, all I found were the extreme editorials attempting to link the shooter to Palin.

Yes, they walk among us........those extremists who need to find a scapegoat all the time instead of addressing the real issues. My challenge to anyone who reads this is simple............take time to think about what is NOT being said in the news. There is where the real story lies.