Lesson Learned from Snowman's Demise

I really believe something good comes from everything bad. that "all things shall be for our good", even the hard things. I also wonder at the things God uses to teach us our lessons. How amazing is it that he caters to each and every one of us, in ways only we can learn and provides lessons meant only for us. We truly are His children. This is about Bug's lesson today.

Bug had a goal this "snow season". He wanted to build a Snow Family. Since we rarely get enough snow in our yard to do more than one snowperson at a time, he was building our family bit by bit. First was Snow Sister. She was short and cute. A few days later was Snow Brother. Taller and with longer arms and a bigger head. A few weeks later, Snow Mom. She ended up being a 4 humped snowperson, because on that day he learned that if he was going to do it all himself, he needed lighter snowballs. Today was Snow Dad's turn to be built.

School was 2 hours late and so after eating a leisurely breakfast, Bug suits up and heads out to build a Snow Dad. The snow is really wet and it's warming up quickly outside. We only had about 1 1/2 inches to begin with. His first attempt fell quickly. That's okay, he decided he would recycle some of that snow and start again. He spends a lot of time rolling and shaping the snowballs so they would fit together. Finally, he has all of the pieces together, but it's leaning drastically to one side. It's almost time to get ready for school, so he hurries to find arms, eyes and other materials to put Snow Dad together. As he is sticking in the second arm, tragedy strikes again. The Snow Dad topples over and crumbles into a heap on the ground.

Oh, the sorrow, the upset, the pain the frustration. He really wants to get this done and frantically tries putting it back together. But the get-ready-for-school timer has gone off and he can't finish today. "I wasted all of that time!", he cries. "I could have been playing or sledding or something funner!"

Here's where the lessons start, son:

1. Time is never wasted in pursuit of a goal. You are always learning and trying and growing. If one way doesn't work, try something else. Failure is a big part of success.

2. Weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth do not help you accomplish your goal, nor do they make you feel any better. Pick yourself up, dust off the snow and make a better plan for next time around.

3. Be prepared. Have all of your materials ready, have things handy and your process goes a lot faster.

4. Goals are wonderful and we become better people for accomplishing them. Don't give up just because of one setback. There's always a way. Perseverance is a good thing.

5. When you need help, ask for it. Don't expect someone to do your work for you, but you can ask for a little assist now and then to get you back on your way.

6. A good cup of hot chocolate makes a lot of things better.