Perhaps it’s sitting upon the couch cushion or nestled above one of the picture frames.
Maybe you’ll find it stuffed in the back of the cabinet between the pasta and the corn puffs…or maybe it’s buried beneath the crackers and granola bars.
You may come across it stuck to the center of the hall mirror or glued behind the bed frame.
You‘ll see it tucked away in the liquor cabinet as well as beneath the stacked row of dishes.
Maybe it’s within the fabric of the curtains or on the edge of the wind chimes or even hanging from the top of the fishing pole.
Actually, it’s found on every square inch in that place from the rug to the ceiling.
It’s on the kitchen countertop, in every pot and pan, every coffee cup and lounge chair. It’s on the bedspread, the closet door and the beach towels. It’s in the shower, on the phone and along the television screen. It’s found on the radio, the glass windows and outside on the flowers within the garden. It’s on the roof, in the air conditioner and the table on the porch. It’s on the top of the surfboard and within my flip-flops in the closet. It’s rested above my pillow and snuggled in the air I breathe.
Every single ounce of that home has a memory.
This has been our summer house in our family’s name for over 61 years – this house has watched me dance in the waves as a little girl right up to the time I was engaged and walked down the aisle – it even saw me bring two children into this world.
Memories…millions upon millions of memories …filled with salty air and sand beneath my toes…the kind of memories I had as a child are now being passed down to my own children.
Hurricane Irene may have swept away the majority of the “things” within that home, also leaving us with the need to rebuild every wall, roof and structure – but what that storm could NEVER take away from me is the 35 years of memories I have from spending every summer there.
You can knock down walls, change the color of the tile and replace the furniture, but the spirit of that bungalow remains strong and intact.
Irene may have tried to wash it all away, but she failed to realize that even the strongest of storms couldn’t change what remains in my heart.
And what will be there – forever.

















