Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Special time at the beach filled with happy memories
Traditions are so important. All families have some, and mine is no exception. Many are associated with the holidays, but there are certainly others, including vacations.
Inadvertently, my father started one back in 1986, when he announced to us that he had found a small, quiet beach that looked really nice — Nags Head, N.C. None of us had ever heard of it, and it was back in the days before the OBX moniker was created. My dad chose a house close to the ocean and bordering Hatteras National Seashore to the south. It was indeed serenity incarnate.
Fast forward to last week as I sat on the shores of my favorite place, the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I realized just how strong that connection to the past is for me. That beach, those waves, the Carolina sun — it is all part of the same shore that my father loved.
I can still see my dad walking toward me on the water’s edge, holding my mom’s hand, occasionally stooping to pick up an interesting shell for his gardens back home. He loved that place. And I love him for bringing me there for the first time, 36 years ago.
The one thing that really stands out in my precious memories is
the joy on his face. His smile, his sparkling eyes… yes, he truly loved the beach. But more than that, he loved his family. Being all together, surrounded by the love that he inspired in us all. We played beach volleyball, bocce and enjoyed the camaraderie of being together as a family.
I now understand that sheer joy. For you see,
I am now the age that my father was when he first took us there. (I am ever the mathematician’s daughter!) It’s funny how your perceptions and paradigm shift as you grow a little older. I am no longer interested in riding the waves or going out at night or in major shopping trips. I am delighted to watch my children and my grandchildren laugh and splash and play. That, coupled with the peaceful and beautiful ocean, is all I want on vacation. It is a gift, to be sure.
Twenty-four years ago, my husband and I were married on that expanse of beach, in a little chapel by the sea. Ah, the wonderful memories that place holds… it is truly my connection to the past. And now, as the two of us gaze out at the ocean, that same ocean on which we gazed so many years ago when we said, “I do,” and we watched the dolphins play games in the waves as they tumbled, carefree and playful, it brings a happiness that is unprecedented.
So, thank you, dad, for bringing us here over 36 years ago, and for beginning this legacy of peace that we now can happily pass along, not only to our children but to their children as well. For now, we look forward to our yearly trek and the family time that we cherish so much. Someday, a few years down the road, we hope perhaps to call that place home. Perhaps.