Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

 Earlier today, my sister tagged me in post on FB with this invitation. "maybe the girls would like to do this?"

It was almost 4pm when it caught my attention and for a few more days, that is "quitting time." Kristen was sitting at the dining room table, so I called her over and asked her to take a look. 

"Interested?" I asked.

"Sure, I'll do it. Let me go ask Brooke" a minute later she returns and announces "She says if I find her gloves, she'll go." 

We spend a few minutes finding boots, snow pants, hats and gloves. I think to grab a couple of carrots from the bag in the fridge and pluck some plastic berries from my winter arrangement box still sitting on my front porch. We load up into the Pathfinder and make our way there. When we arrive - there are NO other snowmen makers.

"Where do we go?" Brooke says looking concerned. 

"I don't know, I'll just call them and ask" 

I call, a lovely woman answers and she is not prepared for snowman creators. She puts me on hold, goes to speak to the director and comes back. 

"Do you have kids with you?" now she seems concerned. 

"Yes, I do!" 

"Oh that's great" She seems genuinely excited and directs me to the area where the windows are for the main dining room. 

We gather our few materials and off we go. Within a couple of minutes as we are just starting to build the base snowball, they clear a spot in front of the window and roll up woman in a wheelchair. I wave, she waves back and smiles the biggest smile - even under a mask - I knew that she was grinning from ear to ear. 

The director delivers the hot cocoa and cookies that were promised. He thanks us for coming. I tell him that my mother in law was their most dedicated volunteer, EVER. I say that she had been a patient as well. I say we live close and saw the post and it was the perfect excuse to get out and get some fresh air. He asks if he can take a picture when we are done. By now another patient has come to the dining room with her walker and another who has a room near where we are moves to get a better view. We place the berries on top of our snowman's head, collect rocks for the buttons and eyes and place the carrot for the nose. Brooke finds a branch to make the arms. 

When he returns to take the picture he says that he is happy we brought a carrot, the residents were about to send him hunting for one! We chatted for another minute, we took a couple of pictures and then I heard a knock on the window and turned to see the second woman that had joined in to watch applauding our finished product. We grinned from ear to ear, and waved back excitedly. 

We thanked him again for the hot chocolate and cookies and said goodbye. We climbed in the car and started home. I think we were all surprised that we were as happy to make the snowman as the residents were to watch. Brooke looked at the clock and said "we weren't even gone a half an hour"

"I know, that took no time at all and they were SO HAPPY. They have been so isolated, for so long I think it must have been nice to see visitors - even outside.  I had fun doing it, more than I was expecting to!" 

From the backseat, Kristen chimes in "I love old people, they're so cute. We should do this every time it snows the good snowman kinda snow, mom" 

The rest of the night we reminisced about visiting Moses the 2 times she was a patient. The time they remembered a few years ago and they time they didn't when she was recovering from a major surgery. I think Brooke was around 3 and Kristen was in a stroller, I'm not even sure if she was a year old. I would pick them up from daycare and then we'd go visit. We were superstars - the staff loved us, the patients in their chairs in the hall would all perk up when they saw Brooke bopping down the hallway, pigtails swinging, waving "hi" to whoever caught her attention. 

She would have been so proud of them today. I was so proud of them today.

We live in a strange, new world these days. It feels constrictive and isolating and so many things we took for granted aren't options right now.  

You can allow yourself to be swallowed up by it all or choose to find new creative ways to share love, kindness and joy. 

Today, we chose love. I hope when you are faced with a choice, you'll choose love too!