Happy Mothers Day 2013!

Mother’s day in the South has always been special to me. My typical Mother’s day included going to church where all the mothers were recognized. They would stand in their Sunday finest wearing flowers that were both bought and arranged to perfection or had been picked from the backyard and worn with a safety pin. Bothe were worn with pride and appreciation. Then it was off to Grandma’s where even though it was mother’s day, Grandma would have pot roast with potatoes and carrots waiting. There would also be fried okra, green bean casserole, U-Bake rolls, and set aside just for me some boiled shrimp. Lastly a fresh pecan pie was brought out. The men would then clear the table, and do the dishes and straighten up in general. The rest of the day was spent making sure all the mothers were not bothered by the usual conglomeration of boy issues. Things like hooks in fingers, skinned up knees, or begging for another piece of pecan pie.
My mother was responsible for my love of water and all things Southern. From an early age she feed me on a steady diet of cheese grits and shrimp, coconut sprite slushes, and Jimmy Buffett. She would turn our stereo up and dance around the house as if she were standing on a white sandy beach somewhere in the tropics. Growing up I was introduced to not only Mr. Buffett, but to Bob Marley, Carlos Santana, Willie Nelson, and the Doobie Brothers. My summers were spent chasing seagulls on the beaches of the Gulf Coast and splashing in the salty waters like a miniature manatee. As I grew older I took to calling her the “Mississippi Queen.” Later in life she would look at me and say, “How did I raise such a pirate?”
I lost my mother last year. This will be my first Mother’s day without her physically near. However, I know she is around me. When I hear Mr. Buffett sing “Biloxi,” when I smell shrimp and crab boiling in the kitchen, when I taste the wonderful flakiness of coconut I know she is there. She was a true Southern Hook. I will be forever grateful for her casting a line and catching me on a lifestyle such as this.
Happy Mother’s day to all The Southern Mama Hooks.

- JD