The beach is empty, the sky is full of stars that look like dull old light compared to the bright shimmering moon. The sand is cool, sparkling almost like the fresh snow back home. The waves are high, crashing violently against the shore. The moon shines against the dark navy water casting its reflection as the waves break, fold in on themselves and eventually rinse over my feet along with billions of tiny shells that have been broken down for millions of years. Each wave is so similar, each with the same motion, and sound, a loud but gentle crash, each started 100s of miles out at sea, a small ripple in a never ending ocean. Gaining more and more power as it makes its way towards shore. Traveling for days all for it to simply wash over my feet as I stand here and admire the ocean engulfed by the deep blue sky. 

"It's late hun, come back inside, you need to get some rest." My mom yells from the house. I can vaguely see her figure, illuminated by the kitchen light as she stands in the door frame. 

"But it's so peaceful out here, no one's yelling, no one's arguing, it's just me and the ocean." I yell back saddened knowing what her response was going to be."

"All the little kids are asleep and the ocean will be there tomorrow." She responded.

She didn't understand that the ocean would be there tomorrow but never again would it look the way it looked that night. The angle of the moon, and tickle of the sand, the breeze in my hair, the smell of the sweet salty air, and the silence of being truly alone for once. The very last traces of light had disappeared and the night sky grew darker, stars dotted all across like sparkling diamonds. 

"It is pretty." Mom added stepping down the creaking stairs from the house to the sand.

"It's more than pretty, it's serene." I was still standing at the edge of the water, the same place I had been for almost an hour, I could taste the coconut chap balm on my lips, it was always my favorite. 

" Not all beautiful things last forever you know, flowers wilt, sunsets darken. " Momma exclaimed, wrapping her arm around me as she too started to feel the sea, as it truly was for the first time.  

"Not all beautiful things last forever." I repeated back, " But the memories from them do."

 "These are the memories that are photos stapled in the back of your brain. You don't see them every day but you know they are always there." Mom said,

With that me and her walked back into the house and quietly creeped back to bed. We never mentioned this memory again but I know every time she sees the sea she will think of that night. The night we not only saw the beauty, but really felt its power. That night I learned that The sea was my true home, no matter how far away I was from it. 

She was right. I don't always think about that memory, but every so often when the house is too quiet or the moon is bright I think back to the beautiful night that couldn't last forever.