Southern Hospitality

It could be a friendly wave from a stranger; Or A "How are you doing?" from across the parking lot. At other times, just the simple words of, "Follow me". Northern Mississippi is where I was born and raised. It's where I was well taught about how to behave. After 17 years, having finished high school, I migrated North From the delta cotton fields of Mississippi to the asphalt jungle of Chicago and onward North to the dairy land of Wisconsin. I was trained to be a pastor in Chicago and appointed to be head master of a small Christian school in Southern Wisconsin, but I was taught "HOSPITALITY" in the magnolia state. In a grocery store parking lot, I heard a voice saying, "How are you doing?" The voice was too far away for me to think that it was directed at me. But as I looked across the way, I discovered indeed, the gentleman was speaking to me. In search of a popular grocery store in Greenwood, I asked for directions from a local motorist. She simply said, "Follow me". On another occasion, in search of the DMV in Greenwood, I sought directions and he also said, "Follow me". In Yazoo City, I sought directions to the power company, and the motorist like his fellow Mississippians also said, "Follow me". The prior 50 plus years I spent in Illinois, Wisconsin, and California taught me a myriad of treasured lessons, but I learned about real down home HOSPITALITY in Mississippi.