Fresh Snow

Snow glistened as it slowly melted in the golden rays of the morning sun. White-capped rooftops sparkled in the rising light, and songbirds perched on weathervanes sang their melodies. Winter’s icy breath finally felt warmer than it had in the months past.

The town was still asleep, and only the sounds of nature echoed throughout the shopping square. Gas lamps looming overhead cast the street in an amber glow and chased away the last of the lingering darkness.

A woman strolled down the sidewalk, smiling down at the bundle in her arms. Swaddled in thick wool blankets was a baby. The baby slept on, cozied up to his mother’s chest and shielded from the chilly gales.

The mother beamed even as the wind slapped her face, turning her cheeks rosy and chapped. She had waited for this moment for as long as she could remember.

She toted a backpack over her shoulders, heavy and full of diapers, bottles, and every other supply she had been able to fit inside. It should have been heavy, but she couldn’t even feel the weight on her shoulders. She felt nothing but pure joy.

The woman looked up, glowing as dawn broke over the sleepy town. The day was finally here. The first day of her life as a mother. The process had been long, but the feeling was better than anything she could have imagined. The papers were tucked safely away in the backpack, and her son was in her arms at last.

She had thought of driving herself or bringing a stroller, but she wanted to hold her baby close as they made their way home together. She wanted to revel in this moment and cherish each step along the way.

She breathed a shaky sigh. Smiling even wider than before, she bent her head down and gently kissed her baby’s forehead. The baby snoozed on, not even stirring. The sun rose higher over the horizon as she turned onto her street.

“Welcome to our new life,” she whispered. It was the dawn of a new lifetime, and she was ready.