publisher’s note
SECOND HOMES AND SPECIAL MEMORIES
S
ome say “home is where the heart is.” I do believe that to be true, but what about second homes? This month we feature a couple from Nashville who purchased a second home in Oxford, Mississippi — or as I like to call it — God’s country. I can’t tell you what makes Oxford so special to many people but I can tell you how it makes me feel to visit. Oxford was my home for four years in the mid 80’s and I have continued to return often for visits. Sometimes the visits are all in my mind... as I just close my eyes and envision the Grove on a spring day full of peace and tranquility, or even on a crisp fall day buzzing with co-eds dressed in their best or little boys sporting Manning jerseys. On those days, the aroma of fried chicken and Bloody Marys will linger for hours. I have enjoyed going back to visit our children, who quickly became addicted to the lifestyle that a quaint, small town provides. I remember talking to my daughter about a year ago while she was preparing for her final exams as a senior. She was a bit emotional and I thought it was the all-night study sessions that were causing her tears. I told her it would be over soon and to take a deep breath and get through it. I remember her then telling me it wasn’t the stress of school that was making her cry, but the realization that her final days in Oxford were coming to an end. Just a few weeks ago, she and I went down to Oxford to have lunch with my son. I remember as I pulled onto Highway 7 to come home she looked at me with tears in her eyes and told me she gets sad now every time she leaves. I glanced back at her with the same tears, and admitted I have been doing that for years, which made us both smile a bit. What exactly is it that makes us feel this way? Why is it that I can’t even go to the grocery store in Memphis without getting angry when there are no parking spots but I can circle the square in Oxford for what seems like an hour to find a parking spot and not mind at all. While I have a very comfortable home in Germantown, why do those little houses on Adams Avenue and on Beanland Drive in Oxford seem like dream homes to me when I drive by. I have come very close to knocking on the doors of each and asking the homeowner if I could just come in for a quick peek! I love my job today but waiting tables at The Gin in Oxford was a dream job back then, and although The Gin is no longer there, anyone who either worked there or visited the place often will agree. I still remember Willie Morris and “Dempsey” sitting at the bar every day giving us their expert advice on life. I picture them in heaven now, doing the same with “May Helen” right beside them — dishing up chili cheeseburgers and gravy cheese fries. Our son has three more years at Ole Miss in Oxford, not counting a possible “victory lap,” of course, and I hope he continues to take it all in. He doesn’t read my letters, so it is safe to say that although I do expect him to continue to do well in college, I hope he doesn’t lose focus on the other opportunities his college town offers. I hope he never passes up an opportunity to attend an athletic event, go fishing for crappie on a beautiful spring day in Sardis or just sit with some wise men and listen to their stories. I don’t even remember what my final GPA was when I graduated, yet I will never forget those moments. My home here in Memphis may be where we started our family and raised our children, but Oxford is where I raised myself.
12 | At Home Tennessee • February 2013