"Happy" and other Delightful Moments from a Snowy Day

Working together to free a car.

Today was a good day and I have to start with my favorite moment, even if it came towards bedtime.

Paul had made his way to Mass despite the storm and I was trying to get all three of the kids bathed and into their pajamas, while worrying about whether he'd made it safely the few blocks to our parish and whether or not we were going to lose power at any moment after seeing a warning from the power company that said that between the snow and winds lines may go down again in this storm.

I'd given Maggie her bath and was about to get her into her pajamas which I'd laid out on my bed when she crawled as fast as she could up to the pillows and slipped under the blankets, pulling them up to her chin and giggling hysterically.  I flopped down next to her and helped her tuck the blankets around her and I talked about how I needed to get her into her bed and we giggled and she looked at me with a huge smile and said "Happy!" four times over the course of the following minutes.

It's such a simple word.  It's probably not a huge deal when a lot of three and a half year olds say it.  And yet it made my entire day.

Babies planning to escape
into the snow.

Later I'd be out in the snow shoveling and trying to help Paul maneuver the car out of the ice and snow that it had become stuck on (and maybe scrapping the side of the van along  something big and immovable when I was attempting to get it out of the road... it's a good thing we have an old beat up van and it doesn't matter if it gets a few more dings!), but nothing could dim the happiness of hearing that word come bubbling out in her sweet little sing song voice.  Not the flu-turned-into-bronchitis (like clockwork!), not the possibility of lost power, not the impending final semester of law school.

The other amazing part of this day was watching people help each other.  Before Paul left for Mass I glanced out the window and saw that a car was stuck.  I ran to the stairs and called up to Paul and he said he'd be right down.  By the time he pulled on his boots to go outside another neighbor had picked up a shovel and headed out into the cold and together they worked to shovel and push and pull and free the car from the place where it had been stuck.

Later when our van was stuck in a back alley in the dark, I was certain that we were on our own.  Within a few minutes though three neighbors, two who we'd never met, showed up with shovels and began shoveling and pushing and pulling the van and within about five minutes it was freed.  I don't think we would have gotten it to budge on our own (the wheels were free but the bottom was solidly stuck on the ice).

Deeper snow a couple hours after Paul headed to Mass

If there's been a theme for this year so far for me it's that I have been amazed by the kindness and generosity of everyone around me.

Outside the snow is still coming down.  It's up to my knees in places.  I was actually shocked by how deep it was.  I'd expected to walk out and help Paul free the car in a few minutes and thought I'd be on my way (I was still in my pjs and a sweater, I hadn't even put a jacket on).  But the snow is definitely piling up much faster than I thought when I was watching it through the window and within moments of stepping outside it was going over the tops of my boots.

I can hardly wait to see what the world will look like in the morning!