Enough Snow

Today it snowed for the first time all winter.  Big, fluffy, apologetic snowflakes tumbled out of the sky.   Even though the kids have complained for weeks about the lack of snow, all was forgiven in an instant.  There was enough snow to make children forget how long they’d been waiting.

The kids grabbed their coats and mittens and begged to wear the snow pants that have been collecting dust since last winter, even though the dusting of snow on the grass hardly required a trip down to the storage room to find them.  Do they still fit?  Look how you’ve grown!  Do we have enough for everyone?  There was enough snow for snow pants.

Out the door they scampered, giggling and wrestling and pushing their way to the yard.  There was enough snow on the cars to make a snowball just the right size to smack a sister in the face, enough snow coming down to wet a few curious tongues, and enough snow on the hill for an attempt at sledding with the brand-new cherry red Artic Wolf Snow Disc we picked up on clearance at Walmart last March.

Before long, it was decided that the thing to do on a snowy day like this was to build a Snow Fort of Awesome before beginning the Snowball Fight of the Century.  With the help of a slew of neighbor kids, construction began.  All available snow was collected from deck rails, windshields, and sidewalks.  It was piled high in the middle of the yard and rolled into balls which quickly formed sides.  But, it’s hard to make a Snow Fort of Awesome with less than an inch of snow.   Not to mention the fact that there wasn’t any snow left for making snowballs.

But there was enough snow to make a make a ramp into the yard for the sled, and enough snow to wrestle in, and enough snow to give a friend a good, cold face wash.   There was enough snow to make fresh tracks with underused boots, and enough snow to outline the branches of every sleeping tree.

Then, just like that, it was over.  The fluffy flakes stilled and blue sky appeared through the grey clouds.  The neighbor kids headed home and the sled was put away.  There wasn’t enough snow for a proper snowman, and there wasn’t enough snow to cancel church in the morning.

But there was enough snow to make cheeks rosy, enough snow to make hot chocolate a necessity, and enough snow to make an ordinary Saturday afternoon feel like Christmas.  There was enough snow to make five children very happy.