God's Country
By: Xanny DeVito @lookawook
God’s Country. It’s a place that resonates differently with every person. Some see it as a state. Some see it as a region. For others, it’s a more specific place. But no matter who you ask, one thing remains the same: it’s a place that feels like home, a place that brings peace—and more importantly, a place that’s beautiful.
God’s Country, for me, is a place resting gently along the ever-winding river we call I-75. It’s a place considered by many to be the Reading Capital of the World. For others, it’s a quiet reminder of the long, infamous history of struggle within the agricultural industry.
Depending on your location, the history shifts. Not too far down the road, you’ll find echoes of the civil rights movement in the 229, the never-ending swamp with all its glory and danger in the 912, and the industrial booms that shaped the 478 area code.
For people like me, God’s Country is both a lifestyle and a place. A God’s Country lifestyle is about preserving the delicate, unique, and diverse history of the cotton and peanut belt of the contiguous 48 states (sorry, Hawaii and Alaska).
It’s about trial and error, fire and brimstone, and a forever-hint of grace that follows you for a lifetime. It’s about preserving and reviving the quail population in the woodlands. It’s about admiring God’s artwork every morning on the way to work. And more importantly, it’s about supporting your fellow man—no matter the reason why.
The place just so happens to be wherever that God-fearing man may be.
God’s Country isn’t for everyone—and unfortunately, not everyone will get to witness it in all its glory. Hank Williams Jr. said it best: “If I never see the pearly gates, I’ve walked through the promised land.”
-Love as Always,
Xanny and Crew