When fall turns to winter, we seem to brace ourselves for a hibernation of sorts from the chill, the rain, the snow or the cold.  When winter turns to spring, we rejoice for a rebirth among sunny skies and warmer weather. When spring becomes summer, regardless of whether or not you’re in school, there’s a shared sense of freedom, of liberation and an internal feeling that the last bell of the semester has rang for us all. (At least for our children). Who can forget the last day of school excitement knowing you had weeks of absolute nothing-to-do-freedom? Summer means picnics, days at the beach, family travel, fellowship, sleeping late, staying up later, and feeling unattached to those daily schedules or routines that become our lives during the year but are now as mentally tucked away and out of sight as our wintry sweaters, coats and toboggans that occupy the back of the closet.

Summer fun? You bet. Fourth of July, outdoor concerts, pools, and cookouts and cold slushy drinks. Sandals, and shorts and cotton t-shirts. Summer is indulgent. Even the smells of summer are fun: food on the grill, suntan lotion, salt air, fresh cut grass. It’s a time for play and a time to get away.

But sadly, the last days of summer swiftly pass, back-to-school campaigns appear, fall approaches, and a sense of nostalgia overcomes me. Summer, to me, holds so many memories of family time together. And as fall arrives, I think of my childhood summers that have quickly become my own child’s summers. And so, the circle of life falls into a pattern just like the changing seasons.

The last days of summer deserve a salute, a tribute of sorts.  And there’s no place like the beach to honor this passing of time. The waves roll out but always come back.  Just like the four of us.  We come back.  We come back to the beach for reminders of sights, and smells that celebrate summer the best. On this particular beach day, my POV finds Harper picking up shells, my husband surfing and my son sleeping calmly to the sounds of waves, seagulls, and distant laughter.  I’m grateful for the coastline and it’s therapeutic trance.  I always feel better. The beach is the best place to welcome summer days and certainly the place to bid farewell to the last days.

Photos by Rebecca Sanabria.