Just Precious

    "Just precious..." is the ultimate southern compliment.  In other reaches, children may be cute, adorable or sweet, but in the South, they are just precious.  Couples with an abundance of wrinkles, who still walk arm-in-arm or holding hands, are just precious.  Really cute shoes are just precious.  A thank you note often bears the expression, "It was just precious of you to bring us the delicious casserole and include the little ones in your visit!" The Cherub Choir at church is just precious, if not predictable. I have often wondered just how these simple words became the South's quintessential accolade.  The Oxford defines "precious" as follows: of great value; not to be wasted or treated carelessly; greatly loved or treasured; scarce or rare.  I do not know about you, but I certainly would like to be all of those things.  Good manners and proper grammar--especially in the young--are just precious; of great value, both scarce and rare.  The wisdom and resources provided by our older generations are just precious, not to be wasted or treated carelessly.  Families and friends who love greatly and care deeply are just precious; for in these relationships the individual understands what it means to be a treasure like none other.  Southerners are often accused of exaggeration.  I like to think that we just emphasize a number of things we think and say. With "just precious" we simply emphasize our genuine appreciation for things tangible and intangible.
     When I decided to share my life, my passions and my stories,  I realized that these elements of my life are my true valuables, the things I do not waste on just anybody.  They are my treasure, the effects that bring me real joy.  So, with you, gentle reader, I wish to share all this, for it is indeed just precious to me.  After I created this blog yesterday, my greatest fear was that no one would share my enthusiasm, like having a party with no guests.  Often today, I left the tortures of cleaning up my sewing room to peek at the laptop perched strategically nearby.  My anxiety grew by the hour until I saw the glorious print at the bottom of the page that I had longed for all day, "1 Comment."  Anonymous, you are the best, and above all else, just precious.