Summer break is here, and I recently spent a few days at the beach with my family. Every time I go to the beach, I think about all the vacations we have taken there with our boys as they were growing up. In the last several years, our beach vacations have been in Daytona where condominiums and hotels dot the coastline.
I love the beach. I love the breeze, the salty air, watching the waves roll in and out, watching the kids play, and watching the people that I see all about. Sitting under my umbrella and reading are my favorite things to do. Holt, on the other hand, does not like to sit still at the beach. Just as I would get sun screened up and comfortable in my chair I would hear him say, “Come throw the ball with me.” or “Hey, you want to play paddle ball?” It would be nothing to have my beach bag loaded to the brim with baseball gloves, baseballs, tennis balls, paddle balls, and paddles: all of Holt’s favorite beach toys. He saw a clear spot on the beach as a perfect place to practice fielding ground balls. Either his dad or I would throw the ball to him over and over again until we got tired. After Holt got hot from catching baseballs, he would want to go play in the water and aggravate Hunter or his dad by splashing them when they least expected it. This obviously would lead to retaliation which Holt was looking forward to because then he could laugh himself silly as his dad would cram sand on all over his head or down his bathing suit, only making Holt laugh harder. When the water fight ended, Holt would beg for us to throw the tennis ball to him so he could make diving catches in the waves. He was always playing, laughing, and smiling.
As a mom, those were some of my favorite beach memories. Watching my boys and Dave play in the waves, laughing and having such a good time together. Watching Hunter skim board like a pro and laughing at Holt as he busted his bottom when he tried to copy his little brother. I remember feeling so very thankful for my family and the time we spent together making sweet memories.
Once when Dave and Hunter had gone up to our room for a lunch break, Holt asked if I wanted to go for a walk down the beach with him. Part of me was thrilled that my teenage son would want to walk down the beach with his mom. Although he didn’t say it, I am sure that as Holt talked to me, he was checking out the bikinis that we passed along the way. When we walked along the water’s edge, we looked at the hotels and condos we passed. As we walked, Holt noticed that we were walking behind the Hilton hotel in Daytona. The huge name “Hilton” was written in big red letters near the top of the tallest of the two buildings that made up the hotel. Holt said, “You see that Mama? One day I am going to own that hotel and change the name from “Hilton” to “Holton.” I laughed and said, “Boy, you are crazy!” Deep down I was thinking that he is a dreamer with a big imagination just like his Mama, but part of me believed him. We laughed together and kept walking on down the beach together.
That is a memory that I cherish. This past week as I walked behind the Hilton in Daytona, I laughed again thinking about Holt’s comment and cried as I thought about how much I miss him. Part of me can’t help but wonder, when I get to heaven, will I somehow see that Holt’s crazy dream came true? I know that Jesus said that he was preparing a place for us in heaven, and I know that heaven is all about worshiping God. Still, part of me wonders if in heaven there might be a building with “Holton” written on the side of it. Maybe a kind of hotel in heaven where believers with big imaginations get to spend the night away from their own mansions. Possibly a place where recreation runs rampant with plenty of baseballs, gloves, tennis balls, and paddle ball equipment available for use at the crystal river nearby. No doubt this place would also have fried chicken, biscuits with honey, and sweet tea available all the time, even if we don’t ever feel hungry. No one knows for sure what we will see, but what I do know is that if there is a place like that, I want a reservation because it is sure to be a happy place.
The best part about thinking about heaven is knowing that, in reality, it will be even better than we can imagine. I believe that heaven is a place where Holt is happier than I have ever seen him. I believe that God’s best for him in heaven is even better than my best for him on earth. I know that owning a hotel chain like the Hilton family would be wonderful, but I believe that God is giving Holt even more than that in heaven. I know how much fun we had together on earth, but I am believing that our future in heaven includes even more amazing experiences together. Our fun together has not ended, it has just been delayed for a little while.
So, if there is a “Holton” in heaven, I want everybody I know to be able to stay there. As for me, I don’t want to miss one more opportunity to be near Holt Rowland, so I am thankful that through Jesus, God has made a way for me to get an eternal reservation. Until then, The Holt Rowland Foundation wishes you and your family a summer full of wonderful memories and the assurance of knowing that the best times together are definitely yet to come.
