Rhode Island Beach Memories

Happy Friday everyone!

Today, my friend Carla over at All of Me Now is hosting our weekly Rhody Blog Hop. Today's prompt:

"In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Rhody Bloggers are linking up honoring and celebrating the beautiful beaches of Rhode Island. We’re each sharing a cherished memory of an Ocean State beach. You’ll find links to a wonderful collection of beach memories at the end of this post"

I love Rhode Island. I always have, and always will. It's my home state, and the place I hope to stay forever. It has my heart, this tiny little state. 

I was blessed to grow up 5 minutes from the gorgeous beaches of Rhode Island. When I was a kid, I took it for granted that we could see the ocean whenever we wanted. I couldn't fathom that there were people who had never even seen it once. As I grew older, I began to appreciate the vastness and beauty of the ocean. The local sea wall became the place I went to calm down, to seek refuge from any challenges I was facing in my life. The ocean was a balm, soothing my soul from any heartaches. 

When my children were born, I was eager to introduce them to the sea wall. I took Stephanie for walks in her stroller when she a tiny baby. My mommy friend (Stephanie's best friend's mommy) and I met along the wall once a week while she was on maternity leave so we could walk with our little ones.

When Joseph was born, it was close to winter and we didn't get to the wall until spring. But I loved introducing him to one my favorite places when we finally made it there. I spent this last summer walking the wall 3-4 times a week, trying to lose more of my baby weight. The kids loved watching the water, and I was thrilled to be instilling a love of the ocean in them at such a young age.

One of the landmarks along the Sea Wall is the Coast Guard House restaurant, which also holds a special place in my heart. Dan and I went to brunch there for our 2nd anniversary celebration, and for Father's Day when Stephanie was 1. I attended a baby shower there for a friend whose road to motherhood was paved with heartbreak and devastation. There are memories of that restaurant that I will hold in my heart forever.

 

Most recently we took Dan's family there for brunch when they were here from NY to celebrate Joseph's 1st birthday. Just two short weeks later, the restaurant looked like this:

Photo courtesy of the South County Independent

Photo courtesy of the South County Independent

Parts of my beloved sea wall collapsed as well.

Photo courtesy of the South County Independent

It is very sad to see these pictures, but I know that our state will rebuild. We will come out of this stronger than ever. I for one am thankful that it wasn't worse...because it definitely could have been. There are others along the East Coast who suffered much greater devastation, and my heart goes out to them as well.

Hurricane Sandy did a number to Rhode Island's beautiful beaches. It also affected many, many families in our little state, who are still suffering the after effects of the devastation. If you want to help, click here to connect with Serve Rhode Island, which is coordinating efforts to help families affected by Sandy. (Thanks to Carla for sharing that information with everyone!) 

You can read other stories of Rhode Island beach memories in the link section below, and if you have a post to link up, I'd love to read it!

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