Winter Wonderland

One of the many blessings of working with preschool students is watching them LOVE things that we, as adults, have grown to HATE. Take, for example, the blanket of snow that currently covers our city and seems to be getting thicker by the minute. As adults, we complain about the terrible drivers, the hassles of school delays or closings, how cold our feet are, how wet the floors get, the need for summer to get here quicker, and how this snow just doesn't fit in to our hectic schedules. For many of us, snow has turned into something we could absolutely do without.

This morning at the preschool, we declared an official "Red Flag Day." Instead of having parents (and often times little siblings) walk the students to the classrooms, on Red Flag Days the teachers meet parents at their cars and deliver the students to their classrooms for them. This allows the parents and whatever little ones came along for the ride to stay in their warm cars and not have to fight the crazy, snowy parking lot.

As the flurries poured down, cars began pulling up in front of the school. Bundled in our coats and gloves we started holding little hands, carrying miniature backpacks, and bringing each student through the school doors. As I carried my first little one across the snowy sidewalk, I could tell that she thought that snow was definitely NOT something she could do without. Her eyes followed the flakes as they fell from the sky, while her tongue stuck straight out of her mouth trying to catch as many snowflakes as possible during the short trip. My second little package was just as mesmerized and much more chatty! He told me about the snowman he wanted to make and how much he loved playing in the snow. As I helped him take off his boots and change into his little sneakers, he told me just how fun school had been so far... and school hadn't even started yet!

How often to do we as adults look at amazing wonders (like 7 inches of snow!) and miss the beauty? Do we miss out on cherishing the opportunity to slow down, build a snowman with the kids, and bundle up together inside, because we are too busy being frustrated or inconvenienced? Are there things in your life that you could benefit from embracing with the innocence of my little friends at Sunrise? I will definitely admit that my socks are soaked, my To Do is not empty, and my car is simply a white bump in our parking lot... but I wouldn't change any of it, if I had to give up the time I shared with the little ones during Red Flag Day.