The Frozen Heart

It had been a long, cold winter. For two weeks, roads were closed due to the amount of ice on the ground. Schools and businesses were shut down, and electricity had been lost. For a small town in Mississippi, this was all but unheard of. Winters were generally mild, sometimes even warm. But not this winter. This winter was different, in more ways then just the weather.

Mary was seventeen. This was the best time of her life. She was a junior in high school, and she was shining. She had a close-knit group of friends that she knew she could always depend on. She also had a loving boyfriend of two years. She was an A student who had her entire future planned in her head. Of course, some things in life, you can’t plan.

This winter started out normal enough. She had already started planning her eighteenth birthday and prom. She wasn’t sure if she even wanted to go, but she knew that she wasn’t going to have fun that night regardless. Mary’s mother also felt excited to watch her daughter grow up and to fulfill all her dreams. The mother and daughter duo had unique relationship, changing from day to day. Her mother had been diagnosed as bipolar years ago. Although most days were fine, other days weren’t so positive. They were best friends, but sometimes Mary’s mother would feel depressed and angry. Mary would do everything she could to make her feel better. It wasn’t easy.

As the weather grew colder, Mary found herself having dark thoughts, unlike anything she had felt before. She couldn’t help but feel as though life was about to change forever. It felt like a sense of impending doom. She thought more and more about death, even bringing up these fears and thoughts to her mother. “Don’t worry, your life is just beginning. If anyone’s life is about over, it would be me,” her mother would try to comfort her. However, neither could have realized just how prophetic these words would come to be.

From the time she was a little girl, Mary had always loved the snow. Some of her happiest memories occurred during snow days. It was something magical about sitting in the dark with little candles and a battery-operated radio that made you enjoy the simple, wonderful things about life. Outside was a pond that would freeze over during very cold temperatures. She would have a blast getting on it and skating, or just sliding on it. As winter came this year, it seemed no different then any other year, until one day that would change Mary’s life forever.

That day started like any other day. Mary’s mother woke her up early to get ready for school. Then they left. Mary hugged her mother goodbye before stepping out of the car and heading into the school. She had no way of knowing that that would be the last time that she would see her mother. A couple of hours later, she called her mom to tell her that she loved her. They had had a huge argument the night before, and Mary felt badly about it. Her mom was by far not perfect, but at the end of the day, she knew that she was loved. During that last phone call, they were as close as ever. Mary believed everything would be ok.

A few hours later, as the last bell rang for the day, Mary was surprised when one of her mom’s friends was there to pick her up. As confusion filled her head, one thing was for certain, this wasn’t good. As they drove her, her mom’s friend sat silent as stone-faced as she held tightly to the wheel. Mary could tell that she was struggling to keep from crying.

As she entered her house, she saw her grandma sitting there with tears streaming down her face. As Mary knelt beside her, she learned what had happened. Mary ‘s mom had decided to go shopping. On the way back, a large truck ran a red light, crashing straight into her. The car was totaled, she couldn’t have survived. Mary immediately burst into tears. Once the tears dried, she completely shut down. She didn’t know how she was going to go on with her life without her mother there to encourage her. She was afraid to look ahead at the future.

Little by little thought, she did start to come back to herself. She suddenly realized that all those feelings of doom that she had been feeling was to prepare her for what was to come. She felt a little comfort in the belief that her mom was still with her. She knew that she had to go on because that’s what her mother would want her to do. Her heart still hurt badly, but she knew that she would make it. She would never be alone.

One day, winter was coming to an end. Mary went outside to see that the grass was green again. She looked out at the pond to see that it had thawed out. As she watched spring officially begin, she knew that everything would be ok. Even during the darkest of times, there is always a light ahead. After every freeze, there is sunshine.