My granddaughter won’t remember her first trip to the ocean, but I will.
I’ll remember the adorable duck sweatshirt she wore and the way her mother held her snug against her chest.
I’ll laugh when I think of her cute little face and that scrunched up expression that said, “What in the world are you doing now, LaLa?”
I want her to know that it’s a magical gift to be “in the world” and that it’s important to take a moment or two to appreciate the earth-side wonders.
Laura June lives near the ocean, but I don’t, so I’m glad I got to witness her introduction. Owing to her tender age and a rude wind, our stay was brief but still profound:
See that horizon? It’s as limitless as the dreams you get to chase in that big old life ahead of you.
Count the waves as they touch the shore and roll back again, steady like a heartbeat. That’s reliability, like the family and friends who’ve already shown up for you and will be there helping you celebrate, navigate, take risks, absorb disappointment, achieve, recover and try again.
That ocean is deep, too, so deep you couldn’t see the bottom if you tried. Guess what? You’re surrounded by love even deeper than that.
You’re not sure what to make of sand yet, but one day you’ll build a castle from it, and you’ll learn that you’re a queen who gets to write her own fairytales and dare them to come true.
You’re a pearl, kid, and the world’s your oyster too.
Go get ‘em!
