Reflecting

I'm sitting in Coastal Coin Laundry in Ocean Springs, MS reflecting on the trip and the people I've come across in the past 4 weeks. Ms. Mavis, the owner of the laundry is a great example. Though I'm a stranger who talks funny, she greeted me warmly and engaged in chit-chat while my clothes washed. When she found that I had been here following Katrina, she thanked me for coming down to help, assuring that I had a blessing coming to me.

This is the South that I like. Small towns, gentle people and the real southern hospitality that has become a cliche' elsewhere. The people of the small towns in Georgia, Florida and Mississippi are a tribute to a time that we have forgotten in our busy lives. You still hear business deals being discussed and agreed to at the lunch counter, people offering help to their neighbors and seeing little acts of kindness done without a second thought or expectation of re-payment.

If I do have a blessing coming to me, as Ms Mavis promised, it will hopefully be in the form of a return to a quiet, simple life like the folks down here.

This afternoon, Kenny & I are doing a radio talk show (the same one I did when here for Katrina). I'm going to tell people how lucky they are.

Guess I really sound like a geezer now.