A day at the beach

   As I stood barefoot in the sand, the warm and salty water of the Gulf of Mexico washed over my feet. Just as quickly as the waves rushed in, they flowed back into the Gulf only to do it all over again.

   The sun was beaming down on me, but a cool breeze blowing off the water made for a perfect evening. There were a few boats off in the distance and as far as the eye could see was water. I laughed to myself about how the end of the water in the distance looked as if you would fall off the edge if you got too close. Good thing Christopher Columbus ventured further than the eye could see!

   There’s nothing quite like standing in front of the ocean to make you feel minuscule; even a small wave has the strength to knock you to your feet. It’s in that very moment, you feel such a deep connection to the one who created it all.

   I sat down and watched as my husband and daughter floated in the water on their brightly colored tubes. I captured that moment in my mind as I realized there won’t always be moments like these. Even though she is about to head off to college in a couple of weeks, he stayed close to her just like he did when she was little.

   Two little girls were collecting seashells just a few feet from me, giggling with excitement as they found a new one. When their hands were full, they ran to their dad who was waiting with a bucket. He beamed each time they rushed to him with their new finds. I imagined he was capturing this moment in time as well.

   I noticed my husband and daughter had drifted further down, so I turned my attention to the sand. Growing up in rural America, there were not many opportunities to build sand castles, so I channeled my inner child and began digging in the sand. I wrote my name and watched the water wash it away and built a small one tower castle that washed away within minutes after building it.

   During my time on the beach, I felt such a spiritual connection to the world. I don’t always have difficulty expressing myself, but I’ve found it hard to put into words how I felt that day. For the first time in a long time, I noticed every single sound, every smell and every movement around me. At that moment, everything was right in the world.