My granddaughters had the opportunity to go to Bay St. Louis last weekend.

They played in 60 degree water, then spent a couple of hours building sand castles on the beach. Four-year-old Adeline was so happy that she burst into song – Jingle Bells.

She loves Christmas and she loves the beach so I guess it made sense to her. (Spending Dec. 25 on the beach is actually the White Christmas that I dream of.)

Olivia, also 4 years old, turned to her mother and said, “I’m making some really great memories today.”

Her mother Monique’s swift photo skills captured those memories should they fade as Olivia gets older.

If it were possible to rewind the clock a quarter of century, I would see Olivia’s paternal grandmother and her son (Olivia’s dad Frank) on that same spot on the beach. Although her grandmother died when her dad was just a child, Olivia’s middle name, Renee, honors her grandmother’s life.

One of my prayers for my grandchildren is for their memory banks to be stuffed with life’s best deposits.

The photos Monique sent to my cell phone of the girls on the beach are one of my answers to prayer.

And as I looked at them, I wondered if they were also the answer to one of Renee’s prayers.

Ronny Michel may be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.