Kim Wilbanks

The young mom balanced a cherubic infant on her hip as she anxiously scanned the passengers arriving from their flights.  As each group exited the tramway from airside, she studied the faces, looking for one that was familiar.  All the while, her wide-eyed infant took in his surroundings.  I imagined that they were waiting for “daddy” returning from a trip.  After a few minutes, an older couple approached the young mom.  There were smiles and hugs.  The grandparents were in town for a visit. 

I leaned toward my husband and whispered “that will be us one day — hopping on a jet to go visit grandchildren”.

One of my favorite places in the world is about an hour south of the airport where we were waiting for our son to arrive from Nashville. It is a small island on the west coast of Florida.  My paradise.

I grew up vacationing on the island.  My early childhood memories include building sand castles at the beach and playing in the waves of the gulf.  My dad taught me how to body surf in those waves. I collected seashells and he taught me the names of them.  He actually spent many summers on the island with his family as a boy back in the 1940’s.

Our love of this place is deep-rooted.

My husband and I made many trips to the island when we were dating and first married.  As we walked along the beach, we would see toddlers squealing with delight at the water’s edge, pre-schoolers playing in the sand and parents trying to keep the baby from eating the sand. 

One day that will be us.  One day.

Well, that day finally came.  We did become like so many young families we saw over the years.  We took many trips to the island with our children and made many wonderful memories.  Our two children still enjoy visits to the island even though they are grown and live hundreds of miles away.

My husband and I often walk the beach and we enjoy watching the small children.  But now, I am drawn to the children with their grandparents.  I see them walking on the pier or eating ice cream at the local ice cream parlor.  I notice them helping the parents wrangle the toddlers.  I drool over the adorable outfits they can buy at the shops down the street. 

One day that will be us.  One day.