Second Generation

Owen is in the bunk room singing the alphabet. Josie is in the yellow room discussing all of the things she wants to do tomorrow, with herself. My husband and I are downstairs sitting on different couches watching television.

As I sit in the living room in my beach house, I feel in some ways like I am sitting in a time machine. Or in a dream that I had as a 10 year old wondering what my life was going to be like in 20 years. Because for the most part, the room looks exactly the same. The beach house is probably the only thing in my life that hasn't changed significantly.

And there were times when all I could think about was how I couldn't wait until the beach house changed. I would day dream about it when as I was forced to sleep on a twin sofa. Or listen to my brothers snoring through one wall and my dad snoring through another wall and my sister snoring on the bunk above me, when I was lucky enough to get a bunk bed.

But now I am grateful that things haven't changed. That my children will get to experience the same house that I did. Its nostalgic, its unique and its a special experience to be able to share the same paper thin walls with my children. As I changed Owen into his pajams tonight on the bed in the front room, he looked out the window and yelled, "I see the beach!" with the same excitement I probably had when I looked out the window. Or maybe when I first realized that the beach house had a TV.

But either way, the dark walls of this house are home to some of my most wonderful memories. And they will soon be home to children's memories. Great memories. Made even greater because they are second generation.