Ladies and Gentlemen –
I want to take a brief pause before we have the Week One Picks to tell you a little story about my South, and more specifically about my town of Tuscaloosa Alabama.
I was in Tuscaloosa Alabama recently….
Anytime I am in town….
I always have breakfast at the Rama Jama, which of course is short for “Rammer Jammer”
It’s located in the shadow of Bryant Denny Stadium on Paul W. Bryant Drive, you can’t miss it.
Anybody who is anybody has eaten there
From Coaches, broadcasters, students and Alumni to fans of opposing teams and all manner of people in between have eaten at the famous “Rama Jama”
The walls and ceilings are covered with University of Alabama memorabilia going back fifty or more years
It’s the place to eat for any Loyal Alabama Crimson Tide Fan and if you haven’t eaten there, then I question your loyalty
I have eaten breakfast there for as long as I can remember
Mister Gary and his Staff know their way around a kitchen and you won’t find a better breakfast or lunch or any finer people anywhere in the country.
They cook a breakfast the way the Good Lord intended it to be prepared
There isn’t any tofu or Boysenberry flavored coffee
There aren’t any multi grain pine cones for you to gnaw on
It’s breakfast in the South
My South
Eggs, ham, sausage or bacon, grits, hash browns from “real” potatoes and toast or homemade biscuits
This morning I ordered the “Number Two” Breakfast Special
Two eggs (over easy) Ham, hash browns, toast and coffee
I poured myself a cup of coffee and took a seat in a booth and was surveying the Crimson Tide Football memorabilia from my youth when Miss Carolyn brought my breakfast over to me
I thanked her profusely, and began to dig in
This is what breakfast in Heaven is going to taste like I thought to myself as I cut the ham with a fork
I remembered that I haven’t had a breakfast this good since the last time I was here and I made a mental note to tell Mister Gary that before I left.
I was halfway through my breakfast when Miss Carolyn reappeared asking me if I would like some more coffee. “Yes ma’am I would, thank you” I said
When she finished pouring my coffee I told her
“Miss Carolyn this is the best ham I ever had”
Without missing a beat she smiled and said
“Baby, that’s cause it’s made with love”
Then she patted me on the back and went to another table to pour some coffee for some bleary eyed college students and a lone Tuscaloosa policeman.
As I watched her walk away it hit me…
That’s what makes us so different in the South
We Love each other
We may disagree on football teams, politics and religion and a myriad of other topics
But that doesn’t mean we don’t love and respect one another
The “Goodness of People came out” is what everybody said about the aftermath of the Tornados that devastated parts of my beloved Alabama.
It didn’t matter what color you were or what part of town you came from or if you went to church or not
Everybody helped each other, cared for each other, loved one another
Nobody robbed or stole or looted or shot anyone…
That’s not who we are
They helped and comforted one another and helped each other get back on their feet and they still are helping one another get their lives back from the Tornados.
The Goodness of People
My People
My South
My Town
That’s what makes us different from so many other parts of the country
That and the fact we take our football and our breakfast real seriously here
But that’s not to say this phenomenon of goodness and love for your neighbor is restricted to my town or my state or my South
It’s just that it’s easier to find down here
And I am positive of one other thing this morning….
This is exactly what breakfast in Heaven is going to taste like
RTR
MEB