In our part of the country, we’re more likely to get ice than snow, so when the winds howl and the temperature drops and the precipitation begins, the grownups groan.
I picked up our youngest girls from school early today because of an appointment, and they were chattering joyfully about the possibility of snow.
“Oh, I hope it snows!” Rosemary exclaimed, clapping her mittened hands with excitement. “Me, too!” rejoined her sisters, practically skipping across the parking lot as the wind threatened to unhat us.
I rolled my eyes, but Rosemary caught me in my moment of cynicism. “Mo-om! You don’t want it to snow?!” she asked with disbelief.
“Not really,” I replied, “because I still have so much to do that requires driving around.”
“That’s what all the grownups say,” Sage commented. “In our whole class there wasn’t one kid who said their parents were excited about the snow.”
Juniper agreed. “They don’t like snow,” she explained.
As we fought the wind to get into the car, I told them that probably the grownups don’t want to drive on the ice, especially since drivers in our area may not know much about driving in ice and snow and it could be dangerous.
“When I grow up, I’m always going to love the snow,” Rosemary declared. “When it snows, I’m going to be sooooo happy! I love the big white flakes! I love the quiet of the whole world when it snows. And I love how when you look outside it’s magical and it seems like a whole different world. And I especially love making snow angels and building snowmen and igloos.”
“I’ll never stop loving snow, not even when I have children! When it snows, I won’t worry about driving around because we’ll all stay home! We’ll build a big fire in the fireplace, and we’ll watch movies and snuggle up under blankets. And if the television goes out, we’ll read books around the fire. And if all the electricity goes out, we’ll light candles and lamps and read ’til it’s too dark to read. And when it’s too dark to read and there’s only one candle left, we’ll tell ghost stories. And when the last candle goes out and it’s dark, we’ll all take naps.”
“I will always love the snow.”
I smiled as we drove away, hoping that her heart stays as pure and optimistic as newly fallen snow.
The Third Eve 
Leave a Reply