at eleven o clock in the morning ...zero snow...twelve hours later we had over one foot...

Friday we were told we had a snow storm coming our way here in Newark. At eleven in the morning we had zero snow but by five in the afternoon we were under about a foot of wet, heavy wet snow and it was coming down heavily. I called my beloved Midland theater because I might be able to get to the Doktor Kaboom performance but I knew there would be no way to back home and up my driveway. I hate to miss a volunteer opportunity with the Midland but I am scheduled for next Sunday with songwriter/performer Marc Cohn. Ken and I hunkered in and before we knew it we had lost total power and had zero heat! I read by candlelight until one a.m. and then crawled into bed and under a couple of quilts but I heard the trees creaking and cracking...a sound that brings fear into my heart. My lilac bush of twenty years had fallen over and uprooted itself outside my laundry room window...I measured the girls and their growth over the twenty plus years by this fragrant gift of Spring arriving. This tree/bush had both the light and the dark blooms after years of the bees cross pollinating the lilacs in out front area of the our driveway. I could not find warmth after I allowed myself to chill at the dining room table reading "Travels with Pomegranates" by the women who wrote "The Secret Life of Bees". I am half way through this book by mother and daughter and will return to report after I finish this novel about evolution of a woman's life as both the mother and the daughter. In the morning Ken attempted to dig us out of about 18 inches of fresh, beautiful but very wet and heavy snowfall. I called to check on my daughter who is pregnant with their third child and nearly cried because I feared this shoveling was way too much for Ken to be trying to do on his own...so close to his recent surgery. My hero...my son-in-law Chance decided to drive out and bring us home to their home for warmth and comfort. I pleaded with him to stay home...it is too dangerous...it is too icy...the plows have not been able to get back to us... trees were down all around the circle. We quickly packed a suitcase and the dog and waited anxiously to be rescued and carried away to a warm home with my grand babies and family. Chance helped us walk down the driveway hill and Ken carried the Hot spicy chili I had made the night before for a "blizzard party". Now we would be reunited with the kids and have a hot steamy bowl of soup when we finally made the trip to their home about an hour and a half. I told my grandson I had been so sad and cold and worried about Grandpa ...and now with him we curled up to read books, play hide and seek, watch dino train on pbs and have a huge Sunday dinner along with Nana and Pops that had cooked all afternoon in Erin's crock pot. Bath time was a hoot with both little ones playing in the bubbles and there had to be at least a dozen dinosaurs in the bathtub with Morgan and Cole. By this time it was almost eight o clock and after Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things" book about a little wild boy Max we kissed the tired little spirits and they went off to sleep. Only on the way upstairs Cole said for us to be there in the morning! I assured him we were all in for the night of great sleep. Popcorn and Ken's homemade fudge plus a new game night with "Apples to Apples" we played and laughed around the dining room table with a circle of loving families united to reach out and support each other when the times get rough. Chance had to risk his life and car to come and rescues us...even having to stop to move fallen trees and dodge the snowplows...he is my super Hero!

We woke in the morning to Erin making homemade banana pancakes, carmel sugared bacon, fresh strawberries and hot hot coffee. I am suddenly filled with an emotion of such LOVE for how blessed I am to be sitting at this table witnessing the life of a young promising family. After clearing the table we settle in for about a half a dozen dinosaur books and then off to the art table to color and make funny drawings. We played in Cole's favorite hiding places we decided to give little Momma a break and headed out to Bob Evan's for a special lunch. By now it was nap time for both Momma and the little ones. Cole helped me pack to go home and check on the house...even though he quietly pleaded "Don't go back!" I told him how much I loved his whole family and I would be back soon...because I had had a very memorable heart memory to cherish for years to come. When we climbed our driveway and surveyed the damage we were reassured that we had been so lucky and what if the landscaping changes a wee bit...we still had our cabin in the woods. I climbed into me bed and told myself I would only rest for a short time...I fell into a deep sleep with wonderful dreams of snowballs, a big snow fort, hot chocolate and the all consuming love for my children and grandchildren. Now I am Home and will get back to work tomorrow. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart