The Warmth of a Frozen Pond

She was grieving, Kris comforted her. Claire and Kris sat across from each other at the breakfast table, sipping coffee. The funeral of Claire’s father had been yesterday. The memories of moments Claire and her Dad had shared lovingly over the years kept filling her mind. In particular, one message that had influenced her life in many ways.

~~~

As an only child, the responsibility of cleaning out her father’s house fell to Claire. Kris would go with to help, of course, but their daughter would spend the day with her Grandma, Kris’s Mom. Without the kind support of her father, she didn’t know if she would ever have found the courage to delve openly into her relationship with Kris, much less marry her and be raising their own beautiful daughter.

Later that morning, after dropping off their daughter, Claire and Kris headed out to Claire’s childhood home in the country. This is where she grew up happily with her single father. Hesitantly, she pushed open the front door, silence as crushing as the memories crashed into her space.

They had already discussed buying the house for themselves, but Claire thought too many memories may haunt them. Besides, they liked the conveniences offered within the large town where they currently resided.

The first thing Claire did was pick out one of her favorite CDs from her Dad’s large collection and drop it in the player to break the heavy silence. This act made her shake her head and smile at the unchanging behaviors of her Dad. She had grown up with this music – his music – and it played a large part in helping her navigate the tumultuous teenage years.

“This Old Man” by Styx was one of her favorite songs. It always evoked great emotions with it’s powerful lyrics, reiterating the words of her Dad:

“… showing love is simply

Nothing you should have to hide

Don't keep your feelings locked inside “

When her chosen music was playing, she walked over to look out the big window facing the backyard. She pulled back the curtain to view the frozen pond. She had spent many hours swimming in that pond in the summers, and skating it in the winters, her Dad always watching protectively. Right now, she could see the geese her Dad pretended to despise, scavenging around the icy pond.

Kris walked up behind Claire, wrapping her arms around her. An embrace filled with love and support. An embrace she may never had appreciated without the loving kindness of her Dad. Claire turned within the embrace to cradle her heavy head on Kris’s welcoming shoulder.

Kris suggested a walk outside. The brisk air would help them prepare for working on the seemingly insurmountable task ahead. It would take every ounce of Claire’s strength and determination to see it through.

Kris and Claire slipped their coats back on and stepped out, appreciating the steam clouds exhaled with each breath. They decided to take the path leading back to the frozen pond. Together, they watched the geese walking around looking for food. Claire giggled quietly as she remembered her Dad’s constant complaints about the messiness of the geese, and “why did they always winter here?” as he tossed more corn. She needed to feed the geese! Claire ran back to the house to get the corn out of the garage. A larger lake with open water wasn’t too far away where they thrived, but the flock liked to come by most days in the winter for an easy meal.

As messy as they were, she decided to keep feeding the geese to keep them around. She enjoyed their simple presence. Their daughter would love these birds. Gracie would love this place.

Stunned by her own thoughts, Claire looked at Kris confused. She didn’t know how to voice her jumbled thoughts to Kris, but in a heartbeat, and without a doubt, Claire knew what she wanted to do. What she needed to do. For all of them.

Claire and Kris went back into the house, where Kris made them each a steaming cup of cocoa to drink. Claire found the words to speak with Kris, voicing what was on her mind.

Without hesitation, Kris agreed whole-heartedly, her eyes sparkling. She was so beautiful! Inside and out, Claire thought. She felt very lucky to have Kris’s constant love and support in her life; their life together.

They made arrangements to sign the paperwork, and Claire’s childhood home became theirs. As they moved their things into the new space, Claire looked toward the frozen pond. She could see the geese moving around. “Gracie, come with me!” she said to their daughter as she hurried off to grab a bucket of corn. They followed the worn path. Claire began tossing handfuls of corn onto the ice. Gracie grinned. “Let me do some!” Claire couldn’t wait to watch Gracie enjoy the pond in the summer, too. Just like she did under her Dad’s watchful eye. She couldn’t help but think how the geese represented her Dad’s presence. Claire wished to honor that.