To be honest, I have never been homeless – just hometown-less. I grew up the daughter of a country preacher and then married a guy who spent a career in the military. When someone asks about where I come from, my first reaction is usually to stutter. A decision we made more than two decades ago has changed that.
When that military guy retired, he began to mention returning to Mississippi. I was still working and happy where we were. When opportunities to write arose, I decided to retire as well the next year. His comments about Mississippi escalated. I thought of the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection and the Karnes Center for Gifted Studies at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and decided I could live in Hattiesburg. In that de Grummond archive, I found a book waiting to be written. People at USM and in the community have encouraged me in the writing.
We moved to Hattiesburg on July third, twenty-two years ago, so I think we’ve been here long enough for it to be a legitimate hometown. Evidently, Hattiesburgers agree. June’s Signature, self-described as “the premier lifestyles magazine for south Mississippi,” carries a review of my book by English professor, Dr. Allison Chestnut. To make the hometown connection even sweeter, this month’s cover is a photograph of an excellent piece of fiber art by my friend Martha Ginn who chose Hattiesburg as her hometown even before I did. As Martha and I sing on opposite ends of the choir each Sunday morning, we are confident in knowing that if asked where we come from, the answer is, “Hattiesburg.”