A Deep Soul

As we drive away from Jackson, my heart is oh so full. The people of Jackson, Mississippi are talented. They are full of soul, full of heart and full of faith.

One of my favorite things about Jackson was the arts scene! It totally caught me off guard and was wildly impressive.

We met Lyle, a blacksmith, who inherited his grandfather’s blacksmith tools and has slowly become a full time professional blacksmith over the past 18 years. He made a bulldog shaped bottle opener out of a steel rod in about 20 minutes right in front of us. Simply amazing. (Check out the video we made telling his story, here.)

Then we met Elaine, who has her doctorate in the study of the bassoon. She plays in the Mississippi Orchestra and is married to Ty, a man who plays violin in the orchestra as well. They shared their music with us and as I sat in their living room, I shut my eyes to soak it all in. Once again, blown away!

We went out one night to Hal and Mal’s bar where the Central Mississippi Blues Society was hosting live music. It was a Monday, it was packed and man, that bar was bumpin’! As soon as I walked in you could just feel it. You could feel the soul behind the music. You could feel the energy and there wasn’t a single person in that bar sitting still. Everyone was bouncing or moving or shaking and feeling the rhythm. The deep south is here to stay.

Mississippi, I’ll be honest, you caught me off guard…but in the best way! You have a huge heart, a deep soul and a beautiful love for arts and music. Your town is filled with some incredibly talented people.

Thanks for sharing your culture with me. It was a treat!

Also, looks like some of our moments from Irvine have been edited and are online! Here are a couple favorites: Kara Noel, one of the coolest mom's I know, here. Blanca's insight on domestic violence, here. Moji shared a moment she hadn't told anyone yet, except us, here.