One Photo: One Story; The Disappearing Beach.

"Auld Lang Syne". The song hit me differently this year.

Translation: Old Long Since or Times Long Past.

The memories we gather are the treasures of our life. The flotsam and jetsam of store bought gifts are easily forgotten. Over time they disappear or retire to a shelf to be discarded when we are ready to let go.

Memories are not disposable. Treasured memories are the sweet fruit of our mind.

Auld Lange Syne.

New Years Eve 2017, My Wife Kelly and I stood on the infamous beach of Dooagh on Achill Island, County Mayo, on the western coast of Ireland.

Dooagh magically reappeared 33 years after vanishing during a storm in 1984. It has this evanescent quality, one of nature’s great miracles. It reappeared around Easter 2017.

Our memories are like that. They ebb and flow like the tide. Some a soft rolling thought that brings a moment of joy. Then there are ones that are a raging torrent like a storm we would experience in the coming days.

We were there to say goodbye to 2017, set our plan for the New Year and send good vibes across the western ocean to our friends and family back home.

It was a cool crisp day as we strolled the expansive beach at Dooagh. I thought about the legend of Brigadoon as we walked the resurrected paradise along the shores of Ireland.

We collected rocks, greeted families walking their dogs. We talked of our dreams of the coming year.Two German girls were doing cartwheels and laughing. They tried to talk with us but the language barrier was too much. We figured out they wanted us to take their photo. We all understood “Happy New Year”, they wrote it in the sand and we all laughed and went on our way.

“Auld Lang Syne”. Just off the coast winter storm Eleanor was rolling toward Ireland and The UK. It would bring 97 mph winds, rain and snow. Power would be lost for days. Writing this from the lens of 2019, the last year feels like that storm to some who came through 2018.

Dooagh Beach survived storm Eleanor. 2018 rolled in with it’s hopes and dreams. The journey through the last year produced many challenges for us all. Hopefully many joyous memories and dreams were fulfilled for you and your family.

On a personal note: Since that day on Dooagh Beach where Kelly and I verbalized our hopes and dreams for a New Year, more dreams have come true than not. There are challenges that still need to be met head on.

We are hopeful as 2019 dawns. It will be an interesting year.

On the second week of January 2019, Dooagh Beach disappeared again.

It will return someday, like our memories and dreams,

another, “Auld Lang Syne”.