Frozen in Memory

Layla and Junior are having a snowball fight in the front yard with some friends in the neighborhood. My wife, Jenny, and I are watching from the porch with our homemade hot chocolates. No one makes them like she does.

School is canceled for the day and everyone is enjoying the snowy weather. Not just because of its beauty, but the way it has the ability to press pause on our daily lives, so we can focus on what’s most important— Family.

I reach for Jenny’s hand, and she grabs my arm and pulls me up onto my feet. She jumps up and down with excitement and says, “Babe, let’s play in the snow! Its been ages since we made a mini igloo together. Pretty please!”

I can’t say no, so we hold hands as we come down from off of the porch and step onto the yard. Jenny goes to retrieve a shovel to gather as much snow as possible.

Piece by piece, I mold the cold, wet snow into blocks and stack them. With the help from our children, we have an igloo that’s move-in ready before dark.

I make Jenny close her eyes even though she has already seen it. I come behind her and cover them to be certain that she’s not peeking. Once I remove my hands, I see the nurse standing in front of me with my medication. “Mr. James, you spaced out for a little bit. Everything ok?”

I sure miss my Jenny…