Snow and Childhood

A few inches of snow fell yesterday afternoon and evening.  We are living it up on this glorious day off of school.  This morning after the sun came out a my good friend GG and I took our kids to a nearby park for some sledding in spite of the half-muddied hill.  Our older three headed for the big hill while our younger three stayed with us.  G stayed at the top of the hill and I stationed myself at the bottom of the slope.

As I waited this thought came to my mind:  "this snow is melting away all too quickly".

And then I had a mothering thought:  "this time with them seems to melt away quickly, too".  Like snow with its discomforts (cold fingers and toes) and blessings (sledding and snowballs), childhood comes in with its tantrums, developments, wonder, disappointments, and growth.  And then it melts away eventually.  It can't be winter forever.  

My nostalgia has two sides--the sweet, warmth of a memory and the cool longing for what once was.  Sometimes when I prematurely start to feel that sadness something shakes me and wakes me to the amazingness of this time of our lives as mothers and children.  I am reminded to be grateful for a good memory of snow and childhood:  for my ability to process these experiences, for my ability to recollect these moments, and for the kids' abilities to recall these fun times, too.