Snow was falling outside the big window.
Four little girls watched the white garden.
Mia pressed her nose to the glass.
“I see snowflakes,” she said quietly.
Lena, in her small blue wheelchair, rolled closer.
“They look like tiny stars,” she said.
Sophie clapped her hands. “Can we go outside?”
Emma nodded. “Yes, please!”
Mia's mama helped them with warm clothes.
Soft hats.
Big scarves.
Snug mittens.
Thick coats.
Soon they were in the garden.
The air felt cold on their faces.
Their noses felt tickly.
Their breath made little clouds.
“The snow is cold,” said Emma, touching it.
She giggled. “But it is soft too.”
Lena rolled her wheelchair onto the path.
The wheels crunched gently in the snow.
“I like that sound,” she said.
Mia felt the cold on her cheeks.
She felt a little shy.
The winter day was new and big.
Mia's mama put a small blue bucket in the snow.
It was a snow mold.
“We can build a little snow wall,” she said.
“Like a tiny castle,” said Sophie.
They filled the mold with snow.
They pressed it down.
They turned it over.
Plop! Out came a neat white block.
Mia smiled. “Let's make more.”
Her voice was a bit braver now.
Emma brought snow in her mittens.
Sophie patted it down.
Lena held the handle of the bucket and helped lift.
Mia lined the blocks in a row.
Block by block, the little wall grew.
It was not very tall.
But it looked safe and cozy.
“I am cold,” Mia said softly.
She looked at her mama.
“I like the snow. But I feel a bit too cold.”
“Thank you for telling me,” her mama said.
“That is very helpful.”
The girls went to sit on a dry bench.
Mia's mama wrapped a warm blanket around them.
Lena's blanket had yellow stars.
Emma's blanket had red dots.
Sophie's blanket had green leaves.
Mia's blanket was soft and blue.
Mia held her warm cup of milk.
Her hands felt better.
Her heart felt calm.
“I felt a little scared of the cold,” Mia said.
“But when I said it, I felt better.”
Lena nodded. “I feel happy when I say my feelings.”
Emma said, “Me too. Then grown-ups can help.”
Sophie added, “And friends can help too.”
They all looked at their small snow wall.
It stood white and quiet in the garden.
The sky was already getting darker.
The first evening star was peeking out.
Mia took a deep breath of the cold air.
Her scarf smelled like soap and home.
“I like winter,” she said softly.
“It is cold. But it is kind too.”
She turned to her friends.
“Thank you for building the wall with me,” she said.
“Thank you for staying when I felt cold.”
“Thank you for telling us,” said Lena.
“We can always listen.”
Back inside, the house felt warm and gentle.
Coats came off.
Hats came off.
Mittens came off.
Mia snuggled close to her mama.
“I am glad I told you how I felt,” she whispered.
“I want to say thank you to you, and to my friends,
for helping me feel safe in winter.”
Her mama kissed her hair.
“You are brave when you use your words,” she said.
“Winter is softer when we share our feelings.”
Outside, the little snow wall waited in the quiet night.
Inside, Mia closed her eyes.
She felt warm.
She felt loved.
She felt ready for sweet winter dreams.
