Watching the sunrise over Aransas Bay and thinking about a sunrise 40 years ago over the Gulf. I stood between my parents’ folding chairs on the deck of a weathered beach house as a V of pelicans flew by like remnants of pterodactyls. I unrolled a cinnamon roll straight from the oven. Standing near them with the pink sky overhead and a warm roll on my tongue I felt a peace that comes only rarely.

I don’t spend as much time with my kids as my mom spent with me. Yesterday, the first day of our short vacation, I yelled a lot. I’m hoping for better today. Hoping to recreate for them some of the memories I have, some of that serenity and peace.