Born in southern Mississippi in circumstances that weren't the best, my brothers and I had one bright and shining star, our grandmother. Like most families in the area, we lived on a subdivided portion of family land. Blessed to be able to work in the fields alongside by brothers and grandparents, one of my favorite places in the world was the corn field. Mamaw would begin the old southern gospel songs, Papaw would join in and soon we were singing our way up and down the rows barefoot, sweating and surrounded by love. I hadn't realized, before writing this, why I love corn fields so much.

 We would go in for dinner (the noon-time meal) of fresh crowder peas and butter beans, both would have been cooking slowly with a piece of side meat for flavoring (what's known now as bacon) while we were in the fields, I would help Mamaw fry up some breaded okra in her iron skillet and we would have left-over biscuits from breakfast with iced cold sweet tea along with Papaw's stories and jokes. He was the storyteller and local historian while Mamaw was Pure Love and Kindness and our Teacher. If we said "shut up," we were cursing, let the screen door shut without holding it for the next person, we were in trouble, took the last of anything without offering to share, trouble again. With no money in the bank and counting on crops from season to season and year to year, Mamaw and Papaw always found a way to help when a family needed a helping hand.

As the only granddaughter, I was so incredibly fortunate. That meant that while my brothers were off bailing hay and helping in other farmers' fields, I was canning, sewing, cooking, gardening, gathering eggs, and - a great treasure - churning butter in Mamaw's Dazey Butter Churn sitting in the porch swing. All of this was at Mamaw's elbow with her as my teacher and I was absorbing her love. There were a constant stream of people popping in. No matter how busy she was, everyone was greeted warmly with a hug and kiss, offered something to eat and drink and a seat. When the gravel road running past Mamaw and Papaw's house was blacktopped, the men had a hot meal and iced tea. When there was a death or illness in the community, my grandfather's cousin, Mrs. Pauline, always knew first as her son was a florist AND she had a telephone with a party line (of course she listened in). She would alert Mamaw and, of course, meals were prepared and Mrs. Pauline would deliver them (Mamaw didn't drive anything beyond the tractor).

I had a favorite Aunt Ruby. She wasn't what most people would think of as my aunt but she was a true part of our family - it made no difference that the color of her skin was different than ours. Aunt Ruby lived about four miles down the road and brought us the most wonderful butter cakes this side of Heaven. Mamaw provided her with fresh eggs and butter as she raised her children and continued after they were grown. Aunt Ruby drove and Mamaw didn't so she came once a week. When she didn't show up one day and Mamaw didn't hear from her, she was worried but thought maybe something came up. No word came so Papaw went to check on her a few days later and brought her home with him while her husband was at work. She had been beaten badly and, with her children grown, she was willing to accept help. I was sworn to secrecy and a plan was hatched. Those butter cakes were needed at every gathering in every community far and wide and were picked up at Mamaw's house. Aunt Ruby was safe at home as, I found out later, Papaw had made his threat of retribution very clear if there was even a hint of a problem. I don't know how long it took but, one day, Papaw took a trip accompanied by Aunt Ruby and she began a new life with a nest egg.

The kindness and love that radiated from Mamaw is a little part of who I am. I don't believe I can ever measure up but I believe that we, each of us, is born with an unlimited amount of kindness and love to give. Some choose to stifle those traits and don't see the value or feel silly being nice to others. However, your money, your credit cards or line of credit can't buy you friends or happiness, they can't buy you a feeling of contentment. A passing smile and hello might be the only kindness that stranger or your own partner in your very own home gets all day. It costs you nothing, no money, no time, nothing out of your day - and the expression on their face can be an amazing reward.

So many people think that today is the time of enlightenment. Mamaw was born in 1904 in rural southern Mississippi. I heard this so many times, I can quote her and I close with her words: "We are all God's children and we are all trying to get to the same place. Just like there are a lot of roads leading to our house, people can come here to visit from anywhere in the world. Eventually, they have to be on that one road that leads to our driveway and turn in. So you see, it don't matter to God what road we come from (those roads are our skin colors, religions, heritage, disabilities, every piece of us), as long as we end up turning in the right direction, we'll get to the same place. We're all, each and every one of us is the same in his eyes - all with the ability to be kind and with Kindness we find Peace."