for the time of year when something grabs me tighter...

yesterday morning i woke with a pounding in my heart.  it was beating to the tune that shakes the southland.  and i could barely contain my excitement.

visions of tissue paper and kudzu kids paraded in my head.  the chanting of sororities and the colors of floats.  bowman field and the sidewalks crowded with alumni and community washed in a sea of orange and purple.  the president and his family riding in a convertible so orange it blinds you.  the band marching along to a tune that begs you to dance.  fans cheering in the start of a season of something grand. 

something that stirs camaraderie and fellowship. 

something that brings together and binds together men and women from every corner and every walk of life.  something that makes those men and women stand taller and feel prouder. 

something in those hills nestled perfectly in the foothills of upstate south carolina.

all too often my heart wanders through these hills and smiles over the memories made on a campus that nuzzles deep into the picturesque landscape.  a campus that shapes people and molds people into better versions of themselves.  the faces of professors and administrators and friends are forever engraved into my heart.  faces that poured into my life during a time that i was learning to be me.

something this time of year beckons me home.  to a place where i found myself.  a place where i learned who i really was and gained a degree {or two}. 

this something is hard to articulate and often hard to define.  but i suppose if you have journeyed through this hills, you understand, even if you can't find the words to explain it.  and for those that have never experienced the magic that resides in the hills, then you might never understand this something that holds together those that discovered the beauty found in an institution that gifts everyone with an undying respect and admiration for education and tradition.

yes, this something makes my heart ache for home.  for the place that will forever hold a piece of me close to its heart.  the place where greatness yawns.

the place where the Tigers play!