If you’ve known me or have read this blog for long, you know that I had the blessing of growing up three blocks from the Gulf of Mexico in Gulf County, Florida.  Our family lived in the community of St. Joe Beach, and my sister and I never took our amazing access to the beach for granted.  We walked along the shore frequently, even in cooler weather, and we went to the beach to swim and lie in the sun often during the years we lived there.  It was where I did much of my playing as a child, and planning and praying about my future as a young adult.  It was home.

The scent of the beach is almost palpable.  There is that salty air, and it carries with its saltiness the scent of seaweed and washed up shells and sea creatures of all kinds.  I will always know…