Snow Storm Baby

Snow Storm Baby

The year was 1992; a cold December arctic wind had brought a chance of snow to the area. It was the weekend and time to relax after a long hard week at work. The weather service had predicted several inches of snow to blanket the region by the next day. Not to worry: it was the weekend and traveling was not a necessity.

At the time, my wife Jeanne was pregnant with our soon-to-be daughter Tahlyn. We had waited eight long months for her to arrive, and finally her due date was getting closer and closer. The excitement grew stronger as the days went by.

By Friday afternoon it had begun to snow and quickly several inches had accumulated. As the snow was falling, clean up quickly began. The neighborhood soon filled with children excited over the freshly fallen snow. Since all of the schools were closed, the children were assured enjoyment for several days.

The sounds of the winter snowstorm were echoing throughout the town, from the snowplows in the distance, to the scraping of snow shovels that sounded like fingernails scratching a chalkboard. Neighbors were shoveling snow that had accumulated on their sidewalks and driveways.

The snow that was predicted to be several inches by the end of the weekend quickly piled up to around eight inches by that evening. At times, the snow was falling so heavily you could hardly see the streetlights that glistened like beacons in a sea of snow. With the landscape draped in white, the trees hangi...