I Am Born

In the town of Greenville, Miss., a miracle happened. Henry Austin Helms (me) was born to the parents of Glenn and Tamra Helms. I was taken back to their home in Belzoni, Miss., deep in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. It was in this little country town that I was raised.

It was a good life. However, I was not destined to be the typical country boy. Most of the families in Belzoni owned some type of farm, whether it be catfish, soy bean, cotton, rice, or even turtle. Even if they did not own a farm, the men were still hunters, more than likely. My family, on the other hand, was in the grocery business and my father did not hunt at all. So, of course, I was a little different than the rest of my peers.

Anyway, I came home, and my parents were so overjoyed with their first child that they knew they could never think of having any more. However, accidents do happen. When I was three, my little sister was born and the parents called her Chelsea Leigh Helms. Being three, I thought I could overlook this one act of indiscretion. My parents, though, would not see the error of their ways and proceeded to bring my little brother, Ethan MacDonald Helms, into the world when I was the ripe age of seven.

Well, it really wasn't as bad I thought it might be. I attended school (1st-12th grade) at Humphreys Academy, a small private school. I was very involved with church at Eastside Baptist, especially with the youth group. There was never anything to do in Belzoni except for the Catfish Festival (read my Catfish article) and to ride around aimlessly on the country backroads. Although most of my friends were content to light up a bonfire on the weekend and drink beer until their bellies showed it, I invested my time elsewhere. This so-called "elsewhere" usually involved writing, drawing, painting on my walls, and watching movies. Fun life, huh?

Eventually, it came time to graduate, which I did with style. I finished top of my class (of 25, not so impressive anymore, is it?) and gained acceptance into Mississippi College, one of the state's top private schools. What an excellent segue into my next section. . .

I Go to College