"I feel it in the air...summer's out of reach"

After a great Memorial Day weekend with my family I am now back to the reality that while to me Memorial Day weekend signifies the kick off to summer, I am saddened to know that "summer" may never have the same meaning for my child who will never know the fun of heading to the beach at the first of the season. Or smelling the salt air blow through her hair, building sandcastles with elaborate moats to keep out would be sand crab intruders, picking up perfect shells, revelling at the masses of seagulls pestering her for cheese puffs, standing in awe of a perfect pelican formation, or simply feeling the sand between her toes. With the oil spill in it's second month of continuous free flow into the Gulf of Mexico and with no end in sight, I am frightened to think of how this will forever change our lives, our livelihood, and really...our history. How will things be done in the future without the Gulf we have relied on for our entire lives? Right now it's hard to fathom the big picture but knowing that the rite of passage of heading to the gulf coast for the week of spring break, graduation, or Memorial Day has most likely been taken from my daughter's lifetime, I can't help but feel she's been robbed and like any mother, I'm furious!