Day 8 of 10

Life is Good at the Beach

We have always been a beach family. Since Jared and I first started dating we would often go to the beach for a long weekend. His grandmother used to rent a condo at Crescent Beach every summer and we would go and spend both weekends. Our tradition continued after Steven was born and he made his first trip to the beach when he was just a couple of months old.
From the time he could walk Jared started teaching Steven how to boogie board and surf. Sometimes I think Steven is more comfortable in the ocean than anywhere else. He and his daddy would get up early carry  their boogie boards down to the beach and play in the water for hours.
We love the beach so much that we bought our first time share simply to have a place to go to the beach every year. It became part of are annual summer vacation to spend a week in West Palm Beach. We would go parasailing, banana boat riding, boogie board, and just relax and enjoy each other. One year in West Palm the turtles were hatching and there has been a horrible rain storm and they were all trapped under the sand. The turtle rescue  people on the beach asked Steven if he would help them carry the turtles to the ocean. He was so proud that day to be a turtle rescuer. He held those turtles with such care in his little hands and walked out to the ocean and let them go.
Whenever I hear the ocean or see the beach, I immediately think of Jared and all the wonderful times we had at the beach. Many moonlit strolls walking hand in hand talking about our future. The many times we held Steven's hands beacause he wasn't tall enough and hearing his laughter as the wave crashed into him. The joy of watching father and son share their love of the ocean. The pride on Jared's face when Steven first learned to ride a wave. The three of us snorkeling and all excitedly pointing at beautiful fish.  For us the ocean has always been a calming place and Jared could always breathe at the beach. For us the beach was an escape,  a time for just the three of us to be together, recharge our batteries, and focus on what was important. There is nothing quite as relaxing as the sound of the waves hitting the sand.
And for me now I swear I can hear the words I love you in the sound of the surf.