Since I was a little girl, I have loved going to the beach. It was our family's planned vacation every summer to travel to the beautiful sandy shores of Atlantic Beach, NC. My Daddy would work extra hours painting houses in the Spring so he could afford to take us to the beach for a week in the summer. Moma would always plan the itinerary from the time we were to leave to each stop along the way, and where we would eventually "bed down" for our week's vacation. Usually it was a rented beach cottage a few blocks from the ocean. And most of the time it was non-air conditioned. But it was always clean, comfortable and most importantly, within walking distance to the beach. 

Even before we started our annual vacations to the N.C. coast, I remember going down many times with my grandparents so they could fish off the pier. Rising very early in the morning, we would make the 3 hour drive to the beach, then board the pier with my grandparents for a full day of smelly fish bait and lots of patience as we waited for them to bring in their catches. I remember my grandfather would give us grandchildren our own makeshift fishing rod consisting of a line with a weight and hook attached. After our grandfather baited our hook with shrimp bait, we would lay down on the pier and drop our lines off the side into the choppy waters below, hoping to catch a fish, Maybe even a shark! And while we usually brought up nothing more than an occasionally "blow fish", it kept us entertained and allowed our gransparents to do some SERIOUS fishing.

My favorite part of going to the beach as a child was when we put on our bathing suits and went down to the ocean. I remember being so in AWE of the "biggness" of the ocean, and the strength and power of the massive waves at high tide! I had GREAT respect for the ocean, and since I didn't yet know how to swim, I would splash around at the water's edge and pretend I was swimming. I remember once my father put me on his shoulders and carried me way out in the deep part of the ocean. At least it seemed deep to me although it was probably only up to his waist. I remember being TERRIFIED of the rough waters and choppy waves, and begging him to take me back to shore. He would just laugh and tell me there was nothing to be afraid of as he "had me." Still, I was glad when we finally got back to shore and I was safely back on dry land. To this day, I still can't swim and have the UTMOST respect for the ocean, venturing no further than knee-deep when its low tide!

As I got older, my love for the beach grew deeper. As a youth, I'd spend many summers there with my friends. We would think nothing of jumping in the car on a Friday afternoon after school and heading to the beach for the weekend to party and work on our summer tan. Back then, there was a popular youth hangout called the "Circle" where we would all congregate, drink beer and spend the day shooting pool oceanside. Some of my best memories as a teen-ager were spent at the beach, increasing my love of the ocean with each trip.

Now that I'm an adult, I still love going to the beach, and refer to it as my "happy place." My husband and I were fortunate enough to buy a small place there a few years ago and go about once or twice a month. But now, its more than just a "party place", like in my teenage years. Now its a lace I go for solitude and solace from the stressful cares of my adult life. It's a place where I can see something BIGGER than the fears and worries in my life. Just recently, I went down with a friend. I love to walk on the beach and kick along the seashore, but she didn't care to go with me. So I went by myself, as I often do. This one particular time, it was low tide and there were very few others on the beach. I walked for a little ways, then found a high dune in front of the ocean and just plopped myself down. For almost an hour, I sat and watched the waves roll in and out. It was so relaxing. Cathartic. The BEST therapy you could imagine! When I think of how powerful and magnificent the ocean is, it is easy to forget my little troubles and worries and just focus on the power of GOD, the Creator of it all. To breath in the fresh salt air, and feel the warm sand under my feet is the most relaxing feeling in the world. I watch the seabirds playing tag with the waves, and the mighty pelicans diving straight down in the water for their breakfast. Way out beyond the pier, I notice big ships cruising the deep blue waters and wonder where they are going. Wishing I could be with them. I watch the many fisherman on the pier cast out their lines in hopes of brining in the big one. It reminded me so much of those carefree days I spent with my grandparents so many years ago.  It's just a feeling like none other, and a place I will NEVER grow tired of as long as I live. I made the comment to my mother once that I wanted to live at the beach. She insisted that I would eventually grow tired of it. NO, I emphatically answered. Who could ever grow tired of their HAPPY PLACE?