The Snow Angels

One to cool you down

Note: in view of our August filled with 100 degree days in Texas, here’s something that will make you wish there was snow on the ground.

“Grandpa,” Kora said. “When you were my age, did you ever make snow angels?”

Kora and Grandpa shuffled along on the slushy sidewalk that circled the park. He stopped and turned to Kora.

“Kora, we made the biggest and best snow angels in the world.”

He stooped down and picked up a handful of snow. “In fact, if I remember correctly, the snow was about like this, heavy and great for making snow angels.”

“Really, Grandpa?”

“Of course. We went out into the yard and made an entire army of snow angels. Hundreds. Millions of ‘em maybe.”

“Really, can you show me how? Think we can make better angels than you made?”

“Oh, I don’t know about…”

He hadn’t finished and Kora was already flat on her back making her first angel with Grandpa nodding approval and grinning from ear to ear.

“Come on down and help me, Grandpa.”

Before he could think of a dozen reasons why he shouldn’t, he too was on his back, waving his arms and legs like his granddaughter was doing. At his age, though, his range of motion in his limbs had limits.

The game was officially on. Kora stood up and picked out an area near her grandfather and plopped herself on her back to make new wings before rising and finding another area of fresh, untouched snow.

Thirty minutes later, Grandpa and Kora stood back and surveyed their handiwork: 36 snow angels, and Nora had made 25 of them herself.

Her cheeks were rosy and she said, “We did it, Grandpa!”

Grandpa was out of breath and said, “We did.”

He turned to Kora and saw her mind and eyes going a mile a minute. He said, “Whatcha thinking, kiddo?”

“Are angels real, Grandpa?”

“Yes they are, Kora. These on the ground aren’t real because you can’t see real angels, but real angels do exist.”

“Cool. Let’s go inside and warm up with some hot chocolate.”

“Splendid idea, Kora. Splendid idea. Oh, but wait. I need you to make one more snow angel so I can get a picture of you for Grandma. She’s gonna wonder why we got all wet, and I think a photo of you in action will answer a lot of her questions.”