So, does “Sandy-Land” truly exist?  Well…..sort of.  It’s certainly a place everyone would want to be and never leave.  But is it a fiscal place you can visit? Uhmmmm……..No, not in the literal sense.

Let me describe Sandy-Land and tell you where this wonderful place is. Using the words of my late husband. “Sandy-Land is a beautiful, tranquil place where everyone is kind. No one is intentionally mean and no one lies, manipulates or purposely causes harm. It’s full of loving friendships between people who truly care about each other while they also offer support for one another. No one gossips because they don’t want to cause harm. Everyone sees the best in each other. It’s full of luxury, beautiful things and global vacations. In Sandy-Land you live in a big beautiful home, and you have a beach house and a mountain house without worry of cost. You drive the best cars that your husband picks out for you and has the dealership deliver each one to your front door so that you can drive it around for a few days in order to decide if you want it.

My late husband and I attending an intimate gala event held in honor of a European princess - late 1990s

Your husband keeps gas in your car continually so that you don’t have to and hires housekeepers to clean all three houses.  A place where your children go to elite private schools, where they are given brand new cars for their 16th birthdays, take tennis lessons at the Country Club and spend Spring Breaks in exotic places and summers at the beach house.  You don’t worry about paying for these things because your husband takes care of that.  Your husband lavishes you with big diamonds, beautiful jewelry and mink coats for no reason at all.'“   Sound wonderful?  Well…..it definitely is! 

How do I know?  I lived it for 23 years of my 31 year marriage until tragedy hit.  At that point, “Sandy-Land” exploded, never to exist again.  I sometimes describe my life by separating it into two parts; before the first tragedy, I was living a fairytale but after the tragedy life became a nightmare for a very long period of time until I met Ric.

My late husband, teasingly came up with the term “Sandy-Land” and would humorously share it with my friends.  They would chuckle and agree.  He would use that term when my naive nature would burst forth after he would tell me factual harsh realities about a situation or some person and I would become adamant that a person could not be that intentionally mean.  Or, when I would think nothing of buying $1,000 worth of annual Spring flowers to spruce up our yard for a season and spend $12,000 on my children’s Christmas’ (example).  During these times he would say, “Oh….we’re going to Sandy-Land again.”  We all know that money does not grow on tree’s BUT he insisted that I believed they did in “Sandy-Land”!  I’m telling on myself but it’s also important to me that you know I have always been a very caring and compassionate person who was never materialistic.  I did not want materialism to become an obstacle that would hinder my Christian testimony.

The truth to why several aspects of that term became relevant is one; he actually sheltered me from the harsh realities of the world and also the wickedness that he had to deal with in his profession, when he could.   And two; he genuinely loved to spoil me due to his his deep love for me.  He was a very generous man to everyone and that was his way of showing his love.  In all honesty, I never asked for those things.  But he wanted to spoil me.  And that he did. Constantly.  Unfortunately, once you begin living that way it just becomes normalized thus the term “Sandy-Land”.  He would laughingly admit it was his own doing when he would tease me and say, “I’ve created a monster!”

But please understand that also during that time I was routinely giving away a lot of money to the poor and unfortunate, abused women organization, ministries and missionaries, the homeless, abandoned children, etc.  God also led me to establish a Christmas fundraiser to provide the requested gifts from the unfortunate children and families in a public school.  I am in no way boasting about myself.  It was God’s money that He allowed us to have and I knew our responsibility was to use it for His glory, not mine.  I just wanted to show you where my heart truly was.

So, when I had to come up with a name for my website, I wanted something sentimental to remind me and our children of those wonderful years, as well as, his sense of humor and generosity.  I wanted to honor him for his hard work and his strong desire to provide for his family.  I wanted to show admiration for his ability to do it all on his own without any help from anyone.   “Searching For Sandy-Land” does not represent material things, it represents a search for peace, restoration of the heart, and a life still full of promise and happiness after barely surviving so many uncommon, tragic and destructive traumatic events that kept coming one right after the other since 2008 until I met Ric in 2024.  Those events were meant to destroy me and they nearly did.  But I’m still standing and in the process I discovered that I am a survivor. And because of God’s guidance I have become a much stronger person and my Faith is unshakeable.  So when you read the title “Searching For Sandy-Land” please think of peace, tranquility, hope, and contentment.  That is what I am searching for but I know it cannot be attained without my close relationship with my Lord, Jesus Christ. 

I pray you will enjoy my blogs and that somehow through them you will find peace and gain the strength to endure your own personal journey.  After all, it’s the adversity of the journey that forces us to grow and mature in our faith, as well as, human beings.

Much love and hope,

Sandy