To the beach...

It's a Memorial Day tradition.  It's been a Memorial Day tradition since long before I had small children to bring with me.  Every year, Elise and I head to the beach.  Surely, the cast of characters has changed much over the years, but one thing is constant - If it is Memorial Day weekend, you can surely find us at the beach on one of those days!

Last year, I found myself in much different scenery.  We had hoped she would be home for Memorial Day.  After all, we'd taken Patrick to the beach on his due date.  We wanted to take Maura on hers.  Maura had other plans, and the weekend before Memorial Day, Maura's short trip home ended quite abruptly with a rash of seizures.  I remember that week clearly.  Memorial Day was the worst of it.  I walked into the NICU and Maura had seven seizures that night.  seven.  It was the most seizures Maura had ever had on any one day.  She even earned herself oxygen.  I remember spending much of that day in the darkness of the NICU crying.  

Well, Elise is moving.  She's headed to the left coast.  And she's been busy.  So when we talked weeks ago, it was a vague idea that we'd go to the beach one last time.  She wasn't so sure herself that she'd make it.  

I stood my ground...I kept texting her, "Beach tomorrow?" "Come to the beach!"  "You have to go to the beach one last time!"  "Say goodbye to the beach!"  Apparently, the beach won over, and on Friday morning, we found ourselves driving the familiar roads through the Pines to Long Beach Island.  We had a lot to talk about that day...the long rides never seemed so long with Elise.  

When we got on the island, we headed for our usual spot - Taylor Ave...of course, this has changed too...it used to be Brighton Beach, right by the surf shop, but as her boys grew, so did their interest in Fantasy Island and being close was key.  So we headed to Taylor.  The beach was pretty calm for the start of the season, and we found a spot right over the hillside.  

Patrick declared it all the best party ever as we stood on the shore and looked out at the Atlantic.  He doesn't even know how right about that he was.  

I spent most of the day cordoning Maura, who was insistent on touching the sand, and playing with Patrick at the water's edge, and Elise did the same...just as we did with her boys for many years.  It was the same as it had ever been...with a new cast of characters...

And while it won't ever be the same, the beach will still be there...as for next year, we'll meet at the shore on our respective coasts...on the beach...just as we always do on Memorial Day.