We traipsed through the hot sand with our 6 chairs, 3 umbrellas, and cooler of Baptist beverages and found an opening on the crowded beach. We plopped down between what looked to be the annual tanning convention of the Ladies of the Order of the Sun and a family of three little boys under 7. It was a nice spot. The tanning convention women were a jovial bunch as they enjoyed their music and libations while achieving skin darkness that would make burnt toast envious. I was pretty sure I’d seen some of them on educational posters hanging in my dermatologist’s office, but they were having fun and that was all that mattered to them in that moment. I did, however, feel a temptation to tell them about my new neck cream, though, as I was sure they were gonna need it. To the left, the young parents were just trying to make sure they left with as many little boys as they had brought with them. A task not unlike herding cats as the little guys were running in every direction in their matching blue gingham swimsuits. There we sat in the middle. It’s always important to choose your beach neighbors carefully as you’ll be spending six or seven hours in their nearby company. Like real neighbors, they can make your experience a good one or not so much. I thought we’d done well with our choices that day. 

The young family reminded Davis and me of all those years of vacations when it was difficult to discern if it was actually fair to call it a vacation for fear of giving vacations a bad name. By the time we got everyone in their swimsuits, coated them down with sunscreen, packed all the snacks, juice boxes, sand toys, and then hauled it all out to the beach to the melodious sounds of whining children, we felt like we needed a nap. Of course, that option was off the table. All of that started flooding back as I watched that mom trying to slather lotion on her three moving targets. When they were all deemed sufficiently sun-protected, the parents attempted to take a group picture of the littles. Their dad planted them in a row by the water and the children behaved exactly how you’d expect from their birth order. The oldest was looking at the camera and smiling, the middle was squinting and contorting his face, and the youngest was turning a purply-red color from screaming and crying in lieu of breathing. I was sure it would be a picture that would be shown at their graduation celebrations and rehearsal dinners. After a couple of takes, the parents quickly abandoned that effort and started applying floaties and life vests on everyone and then dad took the baby under the umbrella to bounce him to sleep. Meanwhile, on the other side, the ladies of the sun put a fresh slim can in their coozies and flipped over to even out their color. 

I was tired just watching the young family. They’d already done more work than I’d done since our vacation started. We sat there between our grown children and their significant others. No one was asking me to get a straw into a Capri-Sun. No one had pooped in their swimsuit or, at least, was admitting to it. No one was eating sand. No one wanted to go in because it was too hot- oh, wait….that was me. No one wanted to go to the pool. Everyone was just quietly reading and I put my head back, closed my eyes, and relaxed while my airpods played music from my bikini days that none of them would want to hear. I wanted to tell the young mother that it wasn’t long ago when I was her- doling out goldfish crackers and yelling for them to not get so far out in the water. She would’ve taken one look at Carson’s full beard and Blair’s baby bump and she wouldn’t have believed me for a minute. But, she’ll learn soon enough on her own, I suppose. It just takes a few blinks before those days are gone. 

This was our trip to celebrate our men- who are also at different stages in life. Carson turned 24 last week and birthdays are BIG deals in our family. They’re all about tacky paper decorations and balloons and getting to pick all the food we eat. This year’s birthday theme of sharks seemed appropriate. Carson’s just starting out in life and his career. He has a sweet girlfriend who we all just adore. He’s at the age where he’s free to go in any direction and we’re excited to see how his future unfolds. We celebrated Father’s Day for Davis and John Samuel. John Samuel had his first Father’s Day as an expectant dad. He’s starting to feel the nearing responsibility of having a baby and what changes that will bring for them. It’s a time that’s full of a lot of excitement and probably a lot of new worries he never knew existed, too. And, of course, we celebrated Davis. Our patriarch who’s raised his family and is starting to slow down from years of working so hard to provide for them. He’s moved into a “help and advise only when asked” role with his children and is looking forward to his first grandchild. 

The beach is a place of many sweet memories. All the way from the carefree teenage bikini years when my stomach was so flat you could roll out a pie crust on it…to blowing up swim rings and trying to open Go-Gurt with greasy sunscreen hands…to sitting there between my grown children with my arms folded comfortably across my muffin top and feeling grateful that those little kids turned out to be really good people. Wondering how I got from there to here so fast, but thankful that Davis and I are enjoying this new phase of life together. Whatever season you’re in, it won’t last long. Don’t wish it away. 

Y’all have a wonderful week! 

JONI 

P.S.