Snow Days

The sounds in my house have been a constant babble of girls, freed from the confines of school by the beauty of snow.  The unexpected break has afforded my girls endless hours of friendship and confidences shared with some of their best friends that, luckily, live right across the street.  The five girls have been virtually inseparable over the last 3 days.  Much like the snow, they swirl from one space to another, settling in drifts to play Minecraft or watch Disney channel.  Warming up to cups of hot cocoa, only to become unsettled again and disappear into the cold once more. 

Currently, Riley is explaining to her best friend how she is going to dress up the family dog for Halloween this year with a Beware of Dog sign around the harmless dog’s neck.  I listen from the semi-privacy of my own space.  I am overwhelmed with a melancholy sadness knowing that this Halloween will not be spent with friends that we have grown so comfortable with.  Friends that we have played dress up with in a plethora of cast aside costumes from Halloween’s past.  Friends that know that the dog is most definitely not the kind of dog anyone needs to beware of.  Instead, we will be in a new place, celebrating the new milestones of our life with people that are, to us now, strangers.  In my overwhelming sadness, I cannot be excited today about all the interesting things our future new home will bring.  I can only be broken by the sadness of what we will be leaving behind.