Why A Handful Of Little Things Added Up To A Memorable Weekend

Sometimes the little things in life become the big things, the things you will always remember. I experienced this just this past weekend. A series of little things made for a memorable weekend.

When Your Grown Kids Visit

Both of my adult children live out of state, so whenever I have the chance to spend time with them, I take full advantage of the opportunity. I enjoy being with them.

My daughter and son-in-law flew down from Birmingham for a week at the beach. Her childhood friend and his wife joined them for Labor Day weekend. My husband and I arrived mid-week to spend the last few days of their vacation with them.

September is a great time to be at the beach. School is back in session nationwide, so there are fewer tourists. It’s not as crowded so you can get into your favorite restaurants without long waits. The only drawback is that some restaurants and shops close for their own vacation. And there’s always the possibility of a hurricane.

We did all the usual things; sat on the beach and by the pool, walked the beach, checked out the new beach shops and went out to eat. My daughter’s friends left on Friday morning, so it was just the four of us for the weekend; five if you count our doodle, Boone.

Friday was a lazy day, enjoying the sunshine by the pool. That evening we piled into the little pink Moke they had rented and went to dinner, then drove around the north end of the island. When we got home, we watched a somewhat disappointing sunset, mostly behind clouds.

Wow! What Was That!

My husband usually takes our dog out for the last time around ten o’clock. I was close to getting my steps in for the day, so I offered to do it. When I walked outside, I saw something I have never seen in all our years visiting Anna Maria Island. At first, I thought it was the moonlight shining on the breaking whitecaps of the waves, but it was cloudy and the moon was not visible. It was bioluminescence!

I rushed back inside the house and encouraged my family to come look. My daughter, son-in-law and I all ventured down to the shore for a closer look. It was amazing! Wherever the waves broke, you saw a line of fluorescent blue to green. It was mesmerizing. Because it was a slower time of the year, there were no other people on the beach. It was as if we were the only ones experiencing this magical moment.

I went to sleep that night gazing out the window at the blue waves rushing to the shore in the distance and I thanked God for the experience. I have visited this little island on the coast of Florida all my life. We have owned our own place on the island for thirteen years. In all of this time, I have never seen this phenomenon.

I was especially thankful because a few weeks before, during what was supposed to be a spectacular meteor shower, I only saw two very faint shooting stars. My friend was looking away each time, so she saw none.

An Encore Performance

The next day, Saturday, was my daughter’s last day at the beach. They had to travel home on Sunday. We sat on the beach and read, walked the beach, and lounged around the pool. After a delicious dinner of fresh snapper, we took our chairs down to the beach to watch the sunset—another dud. But that was okay. I was enjoying simply sitting with my girl, enjoying the cool breeze and chatting.

The darkness (and mosquitos) drove us inside. I hoped upon hope we would see the bioluminescence again, but felt like it would be almost too good to be true. After all, I had only seen it once in six decades of life.

Wouldn’t you know, God did it again. We stood on the balcony and watched the bluish waves gently wash ashore. This time, it was under a star-sprinkled, moonlit sky. Thank you, Lord, for letting me experience this not once, but twice. It definitely makes up for not seeing the meteor shower last month.