The Things We Do for Love

ByD'Ann Mateer
15 Comments

The old 1970s song “The Things We Do for Love” ran through my head often last week. And while it’s a song about romantic love, my context was the love of parents for children and grandparents for grandchildren. 

You see, we are not beach people. We enjoy looking out at the ocean and hearing the waves crashing while reading a book. We don’t particularly enjoy fighting for a bit of shade in a short seat in the sand. 

We’re not really pool people, either. Unless it’s a  perfect 70-80 degrees with a very slight breeze, in the shade, with a book. 

But we are grandparents. And we love spending time with our grandchildren. And their parents. We’ve been wanting to take them on vacation for a while but hadn’t been able to come up with a time/situation that was good for them and for us. But knowing our southern California-raised daughter-in-law hasn’t had true beach time in several years, we suggested a Thanksgiving week trip to the 30A area of Florida. We settled on Santa Rosa, just a few minutes from the more famous Seaside. We even drove so we could bring Dolly with us. 

I think Jeff and I spent more hours at the beach last week than we have in our adult lives up to that point because the girls loved the beach! One loved the waves, one loved the sand. Our son and daughter-in-law loved the sunshine and seeing their girls enjoy something new. The weather was great—mid-70s for four days—with two windier days and two lovely calm days. They also loved riding in the golf cart to get to the beach!

But don’t imagine we didn’t enjoy ourselves, too, not only the time with our kids and grandkids but also the ice cream shops, coffee shops, and bakeries we frequented! We had an understated Thanksgiving day meal ordered from the grocery store but with my usual homemade pumpkin pie. And the Cowboys even won their game that evening. It was truly a wonderful week. 

All-in-all, we’d do it again and again, even at the beach. Because our granddaughters loved it. And because we love them. 

Is there something you don’t particularly enjoy but you do for the love of someone else in your life? 

P.S. In case you are too young to remember (or have simply forgotten!), here’s the song: https://youtu.be/i-6PnsnBpQE?si=VSSQDC6PJUFszsMz

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Inspired by novelist Eugenia Price, D’Ann’s dream of writing historical fiction with an element of faith began in middle school, though her serious drive toward publication took a bit longer. D’Ann is the author of four historical novels and one novella, as well as a contemporary short stories in a compilation volume. D’Ann and her husband of 30 years can be found in Austin, TX when they aren’t touring historic sites or visiting their grown children.

15 Comments

  1. Gee, thanks for the earworm! I feel like I do a lot of things for love, but the first thing that popped into my mind was going to the mall with my youngest daughter. She’s 25 now, but still loves going to the mall to browse. I am more of an Amazon girl…order it online and hope for the best!

    1. Yep. I’ve been humming the song on repeat! 😂 Going to the mall is definitely an act of love!

  2. I’m a beach girl all the way and Santa Rosa is my favorite place to go. It’s not nearly as crowded as other beach towns and it’s so clean with fun shops conveniently located.
    I don’t enjoy flying but we’ll do so to visit family and travel with friends. Thankfully the Lord boards the flights with me, so I can push through the fear and dread.
    #pineapple

    1. This was our first time there and we felt the same way! Not too many people and easy to get around. We’d definitely go back there.

      And I hear you about flights. I’m much better now, but there were years I literally had to remind myself with each step toward the plane that I could do this because I love my husband and because God loves me. #pineapple

  3. I don’t particularly enjoy the beach either… unless it’s the off season when I go specifically to walk. I sometimes take my book to read as well. I would say for me that it’s attending parties. I really do not enjoy those.

    1. Yes, if I go to the beach, I prefer off-season, so this trip was nice in that respect. I did sneak a little bit of reading time on my phone when the girls were otherwise occupied in the surf and sand. 🙂

      Yep, parties. Not my favorite, either.

  4. Haha! That song has been running through my head all morning! Like you, a beach vacation is at the very bottom of my list, but I’m so glad you enjoyed it and I know being with family was the TRUE joy of the trip.

  5. Absolutely! It’s our first trip with the grandkids and I would go anywhere with them! Making memories and being with family beats all the parts that aren’t my favorite.

  7. What fun! You were in my backyard! So glad you had good beach weather last week. This week, it’s too cold for the beach!
    What I do for love – last year I went to Idaho and froze while visiting my brother and sister-in-law, missing Thanksgiving with my sons’ families as is our usual custom. For Christmas this year, we’ll visit my son in law’s family in Connecticut, instead of spending it at my house with my immediate family. But I love my husband and want to do what he wishes to do for the holidays (for a change.)

  8. Not a beach fan here, either. Why sit in the dirt and get a bad sunburn just so you can read a book? 🙂 But it sounds like a great compromise to hit the shops and treat the girls!

  9. I can easily be a homebody … I don’t need to be entertained. Though, I do go with my loved ones, & I’m so glad I do.

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