Of North and South

I just finished watching this miniseries via netflix.

I grew up under the pine trees of North Carolina and loved every minute of it. Singing  and dancing and jumping the creeks. I knew what a confederate flag looked like, I had visited all the  civil war battle fields near my home , Gettysburg, Petersburg and Appomattox before I was 14.

When this mini series came out in the mid 80's I was 8. My brother's were both in highschool and I remember them watching it for extra credit in history. I have a feeling it ran again because we didn't have a vcr till 1989 and I recorded some of it at some point on a vhs tape. But I haven't heard anything in years and totally missed the 1994 book 3 series. I guess I was in trying to find love of my own that year, idk?

Just like I will always see my older bro as forever 19, I will always associate North and South with Patrick Swayze. His character was so strong and courageous. I was enamored by it all. For anyone under 30 I doubt you knew he did anything before Dirty Dancing. I was surprised when not one network aired the very popular then series last year when he died. I mean come on we have a thousand channels. I guess we need a historic drama channel.

My kids watched some of it with me. Charis called the soldiers "yes sir's" and even learned how to salute. She called the ladies all princesses.

Several things I got from watching as an adult.

1. The intense bond of friendship between Orry and George. That is what this whole thing is about. That  is why it was so moving. The civil war was friend against friend. I've learned from first hand experience the joy of close friends and can relate.

2. How intense and hard the south had it. Many went hungry, much was lost.  Freeing the slaves was an economic blow to the south. How their traditions and homes and way of life had been totally destroyed. Not that it was right but it was very hard to watch all you've loved leave and change and die.

3. How courage, hard work and doing what is right is always the better way. In hard circumstances it'll always be easier to deceive, cheat, steal, manipulate, be greedy, etc. But those things always come back to be your demise in the end.

4. Help the poor, the hurt. Educate, feed, clothe. Don't ignore. Share your blessings.

Lost in the mid 1860's,
The totebag blogger