A Day At the Beach

Living. That is what she wants to do. That is what we have decided to allow her to do. " A day at the beach" was just what the doctor ordered. How wonderful to slip away and enjoy the water, the waves, the sand, the experience. It was Ash's first trip to the beach and it is one of my all time favorites.

I sat in the warm sand today and smiled a big, goofy smile. I could feel it stretch across my face and just like sand warmed my toes the smile warmed my heart. Can you believe what you are seeing? I had to pinch myself more than once. This is our baby gherkin, our tiny pickle, our sweet Ashley Kate enjoying life. She just sat and watched the waves roll into the shore over and over again. We didn't dare touch her or even talk to her. Apparently she needed to concentrate on watching those waves. I wondered what she was thinking. Did she even know how miraculous the moment was?

Her Daddy took her into the water and let her feel the cool waves wash over her toes. I stood back and listened to her giggle as the water covered her feet. It was such a priceless moment. I could listen to her laugh forever. It brought me such joy to see her experience the ocean for the first time. I remember thinking to myself so many times that she had never even seen the ocean. Would she have the chance? Today God gave her that opportunity and I cried as I watched them down by the waters edge. Next to that great big ocean she is such a small piece of His creation, but He loves her so very much. As vast and as wide and as deep as the water was His love for my daughter is even more. What an amazing realization it was for me.

Dave and I have been to some amazing beaches. We have beautiful memories and photographs from our trips, but I promise you that I have never enjoyed at day at the beach as much as I did today. It didn't matter to me that we have aged this year. It didn't matter to me that we have yet to begin working on our tans. It didn't matter to me that our swimsuits from last season didn't seem to fit. It didn't matter to me that we were on the beaches of Texas and not the Bahamas or Mexico. What mattered to me was that our God cared enough about our baby girl to allow her to be here today to experience the murky waters of Galveston with her mommy, her daddy, her big brother, and her big sister. What mattered to me was that we were a family of five on that beach today enjoying life together.


We built sand castles. We wrote her name in the sand. We watched Allie do cartwheels along the waters edge. We pitched soft toss to Blake and watched him hit baseballs into the gulf. We pushed Ash in her stroller along the shore line. We fed the seagulls. We played. We relaxed. We praised. We enjoyed. We lived.

Tonight they are all tucked in. Everyone is sleeping and dreaming of the fun we will have together tomorrow. Everyone except for our pickle who is still playing. She is exhausted, but cannot sleep because of her prednisone. She sits on the bed and hits her daddy in the head with blocks. I know she is hoping for him to wake up and play all night with her, but I am pretty sure he is not planning to. I am getting ready to go lay down by her. I think I will stay up and play with her just because she wants me to.

We have two more days to play before we head back home. Tomorrow we will go back and do it all over again. I am so grateful to have been given today with her. God has blessed us over and over again and I can't wait to see what tomorrow will hold. Thank you for loving our baby today. Thank you for praying for our baby today. Thank you for continuing to be a part of Ashley's story. I pray you too have the chance to slow down this weekend and just enjoy His blessings. Take care and good night. Trish