Once Upon a Time, There Was a Little Girl

With great pride, I am thrilled to announce that there is finally native Southerner in my bloodline - a native Blufftonian to boot! On Easter Sunday, my niece, Erin Katherine, was born making her the first member of our family to be born in a state other than New Jersey.

Certainly, I will begin to gain some clout with the locals, with the ability to start my sentences - “well my niece, Erin, who was born and raised here, says …”

I have come to understand that even though I have lived in Bluffton for a year now, I am not “from Bluffton” or “of Bluffton”. I am a Northerner, and in fact, I am unfortunately an intruder in some circles (those damn pancakes).

So, I wonder what we will tell Erin about how we came to find Bluffton, her hometown. I think it will go something like this.

Erin – Once upon a time, your mom and dad decided that they wanted to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Your mom and dad loved South Carolina – your dad went to college here and spent hours and hours on the SC beaches during summer vacations. Your dad starting bringing your mom here too and together they fell in love with the Lowcountry. So, it made perfect sense that they would move to Bluffton.

Your Uncle Joe and I were pretty upset that your mom and dad had moved. And then Grandma and Grandpa decided that they were going to move to Bluffton too. We hemmed and we hawed, but the beauty of Bluffton persuaded us in the end.

You are so lucky to live in Bluffton. Here, you can watch dolphins in the May River, feel the grass between your toes all year long, savor fresh seafood, gaze at the starts that appear close enough to touch, and be part of a culture that you will be proud of. Bluffton is going to be your favorite fairy tale.

Next week I move to Fridays. (Statistics show that pancake lovers don’t read on Fridays.) See you there!