As we were riding in the truck in the backwoods of the Panhandle of Florida, Cavin and I couldn\u2019t help but think of our deep Southern roots.  We were raised on sweet tea, buttermilk biscuits, pound cake, fried chicken, cheese grits, and of course the saltiest, juiciest boiled peanuts that could be found.  In light of all that\u2019s currently going on in our country, it seemed like a different world back then.  I know it wasn\u2019t perfect, but it was a good time to grow up.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly enough, the roots of a peanut grow very deep under the dirt.  The peanut plant produces a flower above the ground. You can\u2019t see what\u2019s going on beneath the surface as the roots grow deeper and deeper into the soil.  Just thinking about the roots of the peanut makes me think about how that parallels our lives.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Cavin and I married, we wanted to see the world.  We were called to ministry and vowed to go wherever the Lord led.  The world is an amazing creation and we have been blessed to see some beautiful sights and meet some of the nicest people in the world.  We never dreamed the Lord would bring us home to our deep Southern roots of South Alabama. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We love South Alabama, but we also love Atlanta, Georgia, and all the other wonderful places we have lived. While living in Atlanta, we were surprised to find out that Atlantans don\u2019t have the same appreciation for boiled peanuts that Cavin and I have. Even though Atlanta is technically a Southern city,  many of our friends had never even tasted boiled peanuts.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boiled Peanuts in Atlanta<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cavin and I made it our mission to introduce as many friends as we could to this Southern delicacy.\u00a0 To do that, we first had to find \u201cgreen peanuts\u201d – not to be confused with \u201craw peanuts\u201d.\u00a0 There\u2019s a big difference between the two.\u00a0 We searched in all of the Krogers and Publix stores we could find within a 10-mile radius, without success. After a great deal of effort and asking fellow boiled peanut lovers, we finally found them in the international grocery store.\u00a0 We were so excited we bought twenty pounds!\u00a0 We boiled them and shared them with everyone we knew who had boiled peanuts in their DNA.\u00a0 We also hosted a peanut boil for a group of teenagers from our church.\u00a0 Many of them had never eaten boiled peanuts before. Sadly, they didn\u2019t seem to enjoy them as much as we do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though our children grew up living in many parts of the world, they started eating boiled peanuts at very young ages and still love them. Every time we took them to South Alabama or the Florida Panhandle, it was part of the tradition.  It\u2019s a taste that no kid can refuse, but they have to start young as they begin growing those deep Southern roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peanut Roots and Building Relationships<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like the roots of the peanut that go deep beneath the surface, producing a flower on top of the soil, I like to think that all the experiences of our lives have made us into who we are today.  Everywhere we have lived has a rich culture. People tend to take great pride in their native cities and countries – as they should.  The roots of a person run deep, but the most important part is letting all of the experiences of our lives rise above the surface to become something beautiful. This is accomplished as we share with others, build relationships and learn to appreciate the roots of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love boiled peanuts and our Southern roots, but I wouldn\u2019t trade our experiences for all the boiled peanuts in the South!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sampling the South<\/strong>…Southern roots are important, but don’t forget about the relationships!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This past Saturday was a different kind of Sampling the South day.  My husband Cavin and I had a few errands to do in a nearby town. We loaded up in the Ford Excursion, rolled down the windows, and took off.  We were cruising down Highway 87 going South!  The wind was blowing through our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"WB4WB4WP_MODE":"","WB4WP_PAGE_SCRIPTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_STYLES":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FONTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_HEADER":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FOOTER":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[117,57,56,119,116,118,121,122,60,115,114,120],"class_list":["post-1075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-boiled-peanuts","tag-cavin-cawthon","tag-charlotte-cawthon","tag-florida-panhandle","tag-florida-peanuts","tag-hollands-farm","tag-peanut-farm","tag-pumpkin-patch","tag-sampling-the-south","tag-santa-rosa","tag-santa-rosa-county","tag-south-alabama"],"yoast_head":"\n