My Mom's Meadow

This was her favorite place.

Every winter I could remember looked and felt like this, with Mom dragging me through the snowy meadow, trudging through white powder as it slowly piled up, on the ground and in the trees. I’d be freezing even under ten layers, still feeling like there was snow in all of them, especially my boots.

And yet, none of these complaints mattered, because every time I saw that look on Mom’s face, every time she explored those woods, every time we were in the snow together, everything felt peaceful.

Even as an adult, snow still seemed magical to her. She’d shake branches until the snow fell off, and throw it in the air like a kid. Whenever we found icicles, we’d always break them off and look at them like they were special artifacts.

Her favorite part of being out here was the rabbits hiding from the cold. She always said that in a second life, she’d be one of these bunnies, spending her days in the meadow.

Coming back reminds me of how much this meant to her. As I got closer to the big trees, I saw the small huddle of rabbits that she loved. Mostly white fur, with a mix of light brown, they all kept close to stay warm. They started moving, and one in particular caught my eye- it was a newborn, looking less than a year old.

I looked down at the baby and smiled.

This was my favorite place.