THREE YEARS AGO DURING PANDEMIC I BEGAN WRITING MY BLOGS.  THIS WAS MY FIRST.  FEELING SENTIMENTAL SO I THOUGHT I WOULD RE-PUBLISH.

Lavonia is probably no different from any other small Southern town, but it’s my town, my observations, my pride.  And here’s why :

Postman, making home deliveries, bypasses mailbox, opens back door, places mail on kitchen table——because the recipient is an elderly, home-bound lady who lives alone.

Five downtown pastors meeting regularly, often for lunch :  Church of God, Fairview Baptist, First Baptist, First Presbyterian, and First Methodist.  Four are predominantly white; one  is predominantly  black.

A locally owned beauty shop, a visual of trust between owner/operator and customers.  Cash drawer opened for and by any and all.  Customers place cash or check in drawer with no instructions, dialogue, or supervision from owner.  Loose cash ?  No worries.

A city worker who climbed off his tractor to help a stranger who was walking unsteadily.  Low blood sugar diagnosed.

Walking Gracie downtown one evening, and someone passing in a car yells out the window,  ” Hey, Mrs. Toney “.  Happened to be a former FCHS student, black male.

Local premier contractor who built our house recommending potential clients to us for reference.  Atlanta folks who asked about the contract.  Easy enough : cost for construction written on a napkin——and then built under budget.

Mayor and funeral director one and the same.  If he comes calling, you’ll want him to be on city business !

Veterinarian, coming to home early one morning to put down dying dog, in the middle of living room floor, with everybody crying.

Lavonia native, gone for some 50+ years , refusing to sell family property to a potential buyer because the resulting business would not have been an asset for her hometown.

Is Lavonia perfect ?  Absolutely not !

But we have more ups than downs, more positives than negatives, more love than hate.  It takes a village………………