My Paradise

There’s a small, no frills motel that sits at 4200 Gulf Blvd on the beautiful, soft white sand of St. Pete Beach in Florida. I could travel the globe, and this would still be my most favorite place in the world. The memories that this little piece of heaven holds in my heart are worth more to me than anything the rest of the world could ever offer.

My Mummum and Pappap started staying at what was then the Harmony House in the 80s. They spent every July basking in the Florida sunshine and rejuvenating in the Gulf of Mexico. Sunsets on St. Pete beach are absolutely magical. The sun drops into the Gulf as the warm breeze blows across the beach, and there is no better way to end the day. I was blessed to spend some amazing nights in the courtyard with family and friends I will never forget.

The Harmony House was home each July to not only my grandparents, but also aunts, uncles, cousins, and once strangers who became lifelong friends. The best room was the sunset suite, upstairs above the patio, and in my youth I was always jealous of Chrissy because her parents booked it every year. One year, there was this family from Nova Scotia staying upstairs, and Chrissy and I were both swooning over their son, Corey. My cousins took us miniature golfing and out to Checkers for burgers and shakes. Oh, what a night!

In 2007, at 27 years old, I finally got my chance to stay in “The Penthouse.” That year I got to take my kids to experience the wonder of St. Pete. It was the last time I’d get to walk along the water’s edge with my Pappap and the last chance to sit on the wall with my Mummum in the early morning hours before the rest of the guests spilled out of their rooms. Most importantly, I got to watch my grandparents faces light up as they looked for sea shells with my twins. There’s a picture of them standing together on the beach that fills me with an indescribable joy and brings a tear to my eye every time I see it. I mean it, that place is magical.

The Harmony House and the motel next door became the Miramar Beach Resort. The name changed, the building was painted, but the emotional connection is still the same. It is my happy place, the place I feel most at peace, and the place I miss the most and long to be again. I haven’t been there since my grandparents passed away, and I know it won’t be the same without them. Somehow I know if I look down the beach just after sun touches the Gulf, I’ll see them walking hand in hand with the waves crashing over their feet. St. Pete Beach is my heaven on earth. Just being there is good for my soul.

If it were up to me, the whole family would pack up every July and make our way back to paradise. Someday, I’ll walk the beach again with the people who mean the most to me. Someday. I refuse to give up on that dream. Someday 💛😇