For most kids growing up, the beginning of May represented the same thing -- warmer weather, more playing outside, closing in on the school year, etc. Not so for me. The first weekend in May meant the Kentucky Derby. It took me a long time to understand the big fuss about a horse race, but as I got older I grew a real appreciation for it.
For those of you who have not experienced it, my parents host a Kentucky Derby Party every year, and they go all out. We're talking genuine programs Fed-Exed in from Churchill Downs, mint juleps, Kentucky Country Ham, cheese grits, and most importantly Derby pie (*cheese grits and Derby pie are a close tie for me...with the pie just barely winning...I mean it does have chocolate. and bourbon. yep, that's right, I said bourbon).
But the Derby means even more to me than just great food and "the most exciting two minutes in sports" -- it brings even better memories. Before the race, they play the state song of Kentucky, "My Old Kentucky Home." As a little kid, my Granny taught me the words to the song, and we would always sing it before the Derby. It never failed, with each year, that Granny would cry during the song (the tradition of which she has passed down to my mom). So now during those few minutes before the race, when I hear the song, I get a chance to remember the coolest grandmother of all time. So, I encourage you all to take a few minutes tomorrow (drink a mint julep or two) and enjoy a little bit of Kentucky with the 135th Derby.
"We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home, For the Old Kentucky Home far away"
For those of you who have not experienced it, my parents host a Kentucky Derby Party every year, and they go all out. We're talking genuine programs Fed-Exed in from Churchill Downs, mint juleps, Kentucky Country Ham, cheese grits, and most importantly Derby pie (*cheese grits and Derby pie are a close tie for me...with the pie just barely winning...I mean it does have chocolate. and bourbon. yep, that's right, I said bourbon).
But the Derby means even more to me than just great food and "the most exciting two minutes in sports" -- it brings even better memories. Before the race, they play the state song of Kentucky, "My Old Kentucky Home." As a little kid, my Granny taught me the words to the song, and we would always sing it before the Derby. It never failed, with each year, that Granny would cry during the song (the tradition of which she has passed down to my mom). So now during those few minutes before the race, when I hear the song, I get a chance to remember the coolest grandmother of all time. So, I encourage you all to take a few minutes tomorrow (drink a mint julep or two) and enjoy a little bit of Kentucky with the 135th Derby.
"We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home, For the Old Kentucky Home far away"
This post is very special - I cried when I read it.
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