I don’t know about you, but every year about this time, I get antsy for the feel of the cool sand near the water’s edge between my toes. The sound of the waves crashing along the shoreline and the smell of the saltwater and sunblock all beckon me to go! What is it about the beach that draws us there? That lures us to its sandy shoreline where we can sit for hours and do nothing?

Time for some statistics. According to *arc.usla.org, National Lifesaving Statistics that appears to receive reports from all beaches in America, beach attendance for 2015 reached a whopping 371, 231, 142 visitors. So, all that to say this; there are many beach lovers out there all finding their way to the beaches!

I think for many of us, it’s not just about getting there and spreading out the big beach blanket, parking our rears on it and soaking up some rays as we take in the sights and sounds but rather about the memories we make there. As I write this I remember how my eldest daughter when she was just a toddler hated walking in the sand and as soon as we set up her little chair she’d sit down, pull her feet up on it and hug her knees to her chest to keep them from touching the sand, whereas her twin would roll in it until she was covered with sand. Thankfully she got over her aversion in a couple of years and is an avid beach goer as are all my kids!

I also remember my son wiping out numerous times on his boogie board and his little blonde head popping back up from beneath the crash of the waves ready to go again! My second eldest daughter loved to collect shells and still does. Because of her love for finding rare and wonderful seashells we have added many beautiful ones from Australia to our collection. I remember my youngest, who is five years younger than her brother, seven years younger than her sisters that when she was just a toddler she wanted so desperately to do what her siblings did. So, at a very young age she quickly learned how to boogie board (we don’t surf, we boogie board lol) and she definitely prefers to be in the water rather than on the shore with me! And in the meantime, my husband hovered along the shoreline watching them all like a hawk, ready to yank them up and out of the water if they didn’t pop up soon enough!

Maybe as you read this, you are reminiscence of your time at the beach or another summer vacation when you made some treasured memories. Some are right there at the forefront of your memory bank and easy to recall. Or maybe this has tickled a long-forgotten memory. Either way, I hope it has brought a smile to your face and a special time to your heart.

So, to beach or not to beach? I say to beach! Build the sandcastle, buy the boogie board and hunt the shells! Make the memories and treasure them for the blessing they are!

Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”(NIV)

 *Resource: http://arc.usla.org/Statistics/current.asp?Statistics=Current