One of my fondest memories from childhood could have been one of my worst. I can't tell you how cold it was outside but I remember that there was a lot of snow on the ground (memorable because it is North Texas) and that the propane tank had run low. Since our heating came from that propane, it meant that my parents had to find another way to keep us warm. I imagine it was a really stressful time for my parents but it ended up a fun time for us kids. To help us all stay warm, we all piled into the living room where my parents started a fire in the fireplace and we layered up in clothes and blankets. I don't remember much else about that time, but what I remember is that it was a lot of fun and silliness in that living room until we could get a refill on the tank. Our bodies were warm enough because of the efforts my parents went through to make sure that was the case. More importantly though, we were a family, building warm memories despite the hard time.
I can't experience temperatures like this (it is currently 27 outside and not going to be above freezing for at least another 48 hours) and not think about that time. As a campus principal, I also can't experience temperatures like this and not think about my school kids. Are they safe? Are they warm? Are they building warm memories with their own families? When the learners return to school on Wednesday, it may be the warmest that they have been physically in a while. My hope is that we work together to also make it a time of warm memories for years to come.
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