A Beach for All Reasons

These last few years have been ones of happiness and sadness. Happiness in the accomplishments of loved ones, sadness in the loss of beloved friends. One doesn't think of mortality when one is young. We believe life goes on forever. I couldn't wait to be 16 to drive a car, 18 to go to college, 21 to have my own apartment and my dream job of teaching. But life started filling in my calendar: marriage, the birth of children, and the decades flew by. My beloved aunt has a saying – Tomorrow is not promised. It is a gift. How true the words are.

Walking the beach offers people many options. The joy of solace, peace and quiet, fun with friends. As I've often mentioned here, it is the walking on the beach, feeling the sand squishing between my toes, hearing the call of the seagulls, and the pounding of the surf that brings my soul the peace it needed in times of joy and sadness. Most often, I cannot be "home," but the beach is within me. It always will be.

I leave you with this heartfelt message. Make each day count. Make memories and cherish your loved ones. Celebrate the life of those passed. Above all, pass a good deed forward.

Diane Culver