Ocean Breezes (Last Florida Post)

I don't remember seeing the ocean until I was around 8 years old and my family took my brother and I to Orlando to visit Walt Disney World. I did not see it again until I was in high school. I know from stories and family pictures that my first visit to the ocean was to a beach in Galveston, Texas, however I was very young and don't have any memories from it.

However, there is definitely something about the ocean that calls to me. There is just something about it that refreshes my soul and brings me peace and calm. Although living in Kansas does pose a certain difficulty, the long trip is always certainly worth it the minute I catch my first glimpse of the ocean and hear it's sounds.

And, as if having my nose and my chin weren't enough, little man has also inherited this love from me.

Even though he is only 3, I can tell that he, too, feels a certain calling from the ocean.

Although the water was just around 66 degrees (not exactly swimming temperature), we couldn't get little man away from it. He would wade in up to his knees and squeal every time a wave would come against his chest. When we pulled him from the water (amid much protest) he would insist he kept at least his feet in the water.

There is something about the ocean that little man keeps close to his heart. You can see it in his eyes and hear it in his laugh. You can tell by the light in his face that he loves the ocean.

And although the ocean has a certain magic over me as well, there is one thing that is now more powerful than my own personal love for the ocean.

The love for my son ... and seeing the light in his eyes when he catches his first glimpse of the ocean and hears it's sounds.

And that makes the long trek all the more worth it.