Do You Remember Your First Snow?

To say that I wasn't expecting to wake up to snow today is a real understatement. Based on the forecast, I figured that, at the most, we might get a bit of sleet mixed with freezing rain. The last thing I expected to see when I walked out to my car this morning was a snow covered vehicle and snow coming down pretty hard.

The snow today made me think back to the first time I saw snow and I thought about the fact that there are probably quite a few younger people who may have experienced their very first snowfall today. I can only imagine how excited kids must be because all of the so-called adults I work with were like kids all morning.

I was in the 3rd grade the first time I ever saw snow. What a day that was! It was on Valentines day and all the kids at school were excited because we knew that there would not be a lot of schoolwork since all the classes had Valentine's Day parties going on. In other words, we kids were already pretty hyped up. Not only would there be a party, but it was also Friday.

It rained most of the morning and we thought that was that. The temperatures were falling and it got colder and colder, but no one expected the white stuff. Around noon time, I went home for lunch ( wow! That was a long time ago!) and when my mom dropped me off at school after lunch, I saw something I had never seen before; there wasn't much to it, but mixed in with the rain I noticed a few snowflakes!

I couldn't wait to get back into Mrs. Bowen's classroom and share the news. I told Mrs. Bowen that I had seen a few snowflakes, but she wouldn't hear it. She told me it was sleet.

The Valentines Day party was scheduled to start around 2 p.m. and everyone was all excited because of the party. I guess it was about an hour later when the snow started in ernest. Pandemonium broke out like a wildfire. Every kid in every classroom was up and running to the windows to watch it snow. Poor Mrs. Bowen now had a classroom of kids who were already excited, but when the snow started we all went a little crazy. Truth be told; we went nuts!

Not only was it snowing in Beaumont, Texas, but it was sticking to the ground and building up fast. I wasn't particularly perceptive at the time, but I swear I saw Mrs. Bowen slump into her chair with a look of defeat on her face. The poor lady knew that there would be no regaining control of the classroom. Lucky for her, it was only a few minutes before the principal came on the intercom and informed everyone that parents had been called and that school would be dismissed post haste.

A cheer went up from every classroom in the school. I can't state this for a certainty, but I swear I heard the teachers cheering the loudest!

Since that day, I've often wondered how many poor teachers went home and started drinking right then and there.