You know, life really IS good

During the school spring break, I decided to take my 6-year-old great-grandson to the Santa Rosa Fair near Milton.

We arrived before the gates opened and had a chance to scope out the area. When the gates opened, we entered and passed through a grouping of vendors serving food and drinks. Marcus was eager to get to the rides and asked if we could have a hot dog on our way out, and an ice cream cone. I assured him we would do just that. We went from ride to ride, from the roller coaster to the wall climbing activity.

When all the energy had been expended - mine, not my great grandson's - we had to retrace out steps to get back to the car.

But, I had promised a hot dog and ice cream cone, so we stopped first at the hot dog stand and each got one with all the trimmings, along with a soft drink.

There were no tables and chairs, so we went over to the bleachers and sat down. We sat there with a hot dog and soft drink, the sun beating down on us, the baseball field stretching out before us, and finally, out of the quietness, Marcus said very thoughtfully, "Life is really good!"

I think of those four words often. That sentiment, "Life is really good!" was affirmed again this past weekend as the Beach Optimist Club and friends gathered at the Hilton Inn on Friday evening to raise money for a special project at the Beach Elementary School as well as other concerns of the Optimist Club.

Then, on Saturday evening, members and friends of the Beach Community Church gathered at the church to enjoy a benefit performance by T. Bubba Bechtol, affectionately known as "Bubba." Funds were raised for the construction of a new fellowship hall for the church. On Sunday morning, the church gathered again to break ground for the fellowship hall. It was truly a wonderful weekend as the beach community came together to offer support for the only school, and the one of two churches on the beach.

In the words of small child, "Life is really good!"