Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

by Beth Hoffman

“Murdering anything is just plain criminal, but a Southerner murdering a magnolia? Well,

that’s an unforgivable sacrilege against nature and the South.

“Yes. Everyone needs to find the one thing that brings out her passion. It’s what we do and share with the world that matters. I believe it’s important that we leave our communities in better shape than we found them. “Cecelia Rose, she said, reaching for my hand, “far too many people die with a heart that’s gone flat with indifference, and it surely must be a terrible way to go. Life will offer us amazing opportunities, but we’ve got to be wide-awake to recognize them.”

the scent of secrets and bruised rose petals filled my nostrils.

Mrs. Odell once told me that forgiveness had a whole lot more to do with the person doing the forgiving than it did with the person in need of forgiveness. She said holding on to hurt and anger made about as much sense as hitting your head with a hammer and expecting the other person to get a headache.

it occurred to me that that’s what friends should do: cherish the good and pretend not to notice the harmless rest.

“I find all men to be very much like wearing high-heeled shoes—I love how pretty they make me feel, but by the end of the night I can’t wait to get rid of them.”

‘Don’t grow up too fast, darling. Age is inevitable, but if you nurture a childlike heart, you’ll never ever grow old.’”

“Ain’t no sun in the kitchen without your face lookin’ up at me.”

“It’s what we believe about ourselves that determines how others see us.”

“Oysters are a lot like women. It’s how we survive the hurts in life that brings us strength and gives us our beauty.”

I realized that Southern hospitality not only came from the heart but was a practiced social art that had been passed down from one generation to the next—like fine silverware or china. Southerners had a way of doing things that made you feel special, and

Don’t go wastin’ all them bright tomorrows you ain’t even seen by hangin’ on to what happened yesterday. Let go, child. Just breathe out and let go.”

“People is wise ’cause they get out in the world and live. Wisdom comes from experience—from knowin’ each day is a gift and accepting it with gladness. You read a whole lot of books, and readin’ sure has made you smart, but ain’t no book in the world gonna make you wise.”

“It’s how we survive the hurts in life that brings us strength and gives us our beauty.”