As Mother Nature blankets New England in a spring snow, I can’t help but reflect upon words of wisdom from Mom’s Great Aunt Dottie. Her gentle guidance was a reassuring presence in our lives, but who also made us ponder important life lessons. In March of 2017, we overheard a conversation in which after living on her own for many years, Great Aunt Dottie revealed that she sometimes missed shoveling, and wished she appreciated that final snow day at home before moving into an assisted living facility. As Mom grumbled about having to shovel yet again, Great Aunt Dottie mused, “aren’t we lucky” to be able to experience it.

Mom’s Great Aunt Dottie was right. We are lucky! Sure having 12 inches of snow fall in April is annoying, and the lights flickering has us worried about the inevitable power outage. But at the same time, it is a gift to be able to enjoy one more snow day together, because no one ever really knows when the “last” snow day will be. So if you’ll please excuse us, Asa and I have some playing to do with Mom and Dad.