The thin layer of snow glittered in the morning light as we made our way toward church. Under the layer of snow were the lumpy sheets of ice that have been covering the ground and sidewalks since just after Christmas. I was trailing behind Howard and the four kids, all dressed in Sunday best except for footwear. Skirts may look odd with sturdy snow boots, but they look better than being covered with snow after taking a painful tumble.
Most of the time I watched my own boots and the ground right in front of them sot that I could select my path with care. At the corner I paused a moment to look toward the beloved people tramping along ahead of me. No one else was out yet, the Stake Conference church meeting did not start for half an hour. Link had declined to wear a coat despite the 22 degree temperatures. He was at the head of the pack, moving quickly to get inside the warm church. Patch carried his newly-acquired art binder. We’d re-purposed an old school binder just that morning so that he had a place to carry his blank paper and markers. Gleek also had a new binder. As soon as she spied Patch’s she needed one too. In her case the binder was shoved into her shoulder bag along with pencils, paper, notebooks, pencil sharpeners, markers, erasers, and a small ball of clay. Gleek was quite thoroughly defended against the possibility of boredom in the meeting to come. Despite her preparation, she was the one most likely to be bored. I had my own emergency boredom kit in the bag on my should.
Kiki and Howard walked along together. Kiki had a binder of her own, simply organized and arranged. Howard moved among the kids, guiding and helping them pick their way along the icy sidewalks. I could hear his voice as he gave directions. A deep breath and the chill air filled my lungs. Then I continued on. It was a beautiful walk to a good place.