Submitted by Ann Labrada, Manteo

It’s so quiet outside, the hush of snowflakes falling on already piled up snow

The crinkle of ice branches blowing against one another

The dogs footfalls land in a crunch leaving the sweetest perfect paw print impressions

Black little spots and a larger paw pad depress the bright white landscape

Then suddenly a door slams followed by the squealing voices of my children

Their teenage stubbornness that doesn’t allow them to wear coats to school has been surrendered

They’re not only in coats, but knit hats and gloves too big for their still growing hands

Their adolescence that typically reaches for adulthood has taken a 180 and they instantly revert to children

Scooping up handfuls of white powder they sculpt and launch them at each other

Clunky feet covered in big rubber boots run and slide along the slick driveway

Giggles and belly laughs punctuate the hushed over neighborhood

Rosy cheeks and bright eyes with a huge grin smile up at me

Snow! They exclaim! It’s snowing mama!

My perspective switches to take it all in, I feel as if I’m looking into a perfect snowglobe of energetic children and jumping dogs

I want time to emulate the temperature and freeze this moment

Set it on a high shelf and break out the snowglobe on tough days

Shake up the teenage angst and bad moods that come on suddenly with eyes cast down and feet stomp up the steps

The days where their mouths clamp shut and they don’t want to tell me what happened at school

But the solution to holding onto this moment, even when feet become too frozen to ignore and fingers can no longer pull that boogie board up the hill because they too have become numb, is the same solution I lean on when they have a bad day

Snacks, drinks and a bit of comfort from mom

We return home and peel off icy cold layers, some go to the laundry room where the window fogs up from the combination of steamy heat and chilly discarded articles of clothing

They climb the stairs and gather around the fire, still giggling and rehashing the moments that just passed them

I fill the electric kettle and click it on, it’s blue light illuminating the corner of the countertop

Mugs clank together as they get settled and await the hot cocoa powder or tea

Cookies are set out, I carry the steaming mugs into the living room where they sit in a circle in front of the glowing, cozy fire

They once again smile up at me and thank me, my heart fills

I drape fluffy blankets over their shoulders

I step back and take in this snapshot of a snowglobe moment

They’re watching tv shows and movies from when they were little

The nostalgia tugging at them the same way it tugs at me

Snowdays have a way of becoming a time machine

They bring back youth and force us to slow down

We find corners to read in, curling up with a hot cuppa and a warm blanket, I puzzle looking out over the backyard at sweet little birds trying to find a morsel to snack on

The kids play games and snuggle on the couch

We cook comfort foods and nibble too much on sugary treats

Today is special

I’ll store this memory away then pull it out like a snowglobe, I’ll gaze at it in my minds eye and smile with fond recollection

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