When I came up with the title, I heard the song “Beach Baby” in my head. Initially I thought it was recorded by The Beach Boys in the 60s. Actually , it was released by the British band, “The First Class,” in 1974. I was wrong on both fronts, but I was right about Maverick being a beach baby. He absolutely loved being at the ocean.

Sara, Jordan, and Maverick recently spent a few days in Panama City. They were constantly doing fun adventurous things with him while also keeping Maverick safe at the same time. They had a float for him to use in the pool. It was round with a top over it for shade. I hate to admit it, but I got a little jealous. I need a grandma size one of those. When they video called at night, he seemed so happy. You can see that in the pictures with this article. Even though he is still a baby, I am happy he went to the beach.

When our daughter Sara was 4 years old, we took a family trip to Myrtle Beach. I wanted her to have that experience and not be like I was as a child. You see, when I was growing up, we didn’t ever go to the beach. Our friends and relatives did and they came back with all kinds of wonderful tales about playing in the sand and the ocean. They had beautiful scenic pictures. I don’t know how many times I asked my parents if we could go the beach. Each time I was told: “No!” I can remember sitting in class when I was in the sixth grade and we were discussing the ocean. The teacher assumed we had all seen it. He and everybody else was amazed that I hadn’t. That made me feel so left out. I know that isn’t a big deal to some people, but it was to me. When I was fourteen, I finally got to go to the beach when I went with my cousin Julie. This is the same one that I yanked down to the ground because she was in front of the TV. The first time I stood next to the ocean I was absolutely blown away. While I had an amazing time, there was still one more place that I wanted to go to.

If you were a child in the 60s and 70s, then you are probably watched or were aware of “The Magical World of Disney” that aired on Sunday evenings. In the intro, you would see pictures of Disneyland as well as clips of Disney movies. The showed began when Tinkerbell waved her magic wand. Sometimes instead of airing a movie, they would show scenes from inside of Disney world. The attraction that fascinated me the most was: “It’s a Small World.” Again, friends and relatives told me wonderful stories about their trip there. To me, it sounded magical. I begged and pleaded my parents to go to Disney World. Again, we never went. In all fairness, they didn’t have the money for a trip like that. They tried to tell me, but I didn’t understand. Now I know they would have had to go into more debt for it. On the plus side, they did get me Disneyland slides for my View Master View Finder.

“But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” Hebrews 11:16 (KJV)

Just as I longed for the adventure of the beach and Disney World, I believe God placed the desire for Heaven in each one of us. The more we experience and see suffering here, the more we long for that perfect place He has prepared for us. But there is only one way to enter in: John 14:6.

When people ask if I have ever been to Disney World, I answer: “Nope. But I have been to the Kennedy Space Center twice. I prefer seeing rockets, spacecraft and astronauts that have been in space than somebody in a princess costume.” Yep. I’ve grown into a geek.

Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.