Lily loved her mittens. They weren’t just any mittens; they were bright red and knitted by her Grandma Rose. Every winter, Lily wore them when she built snow forts, made snow angels, and had snowball fights with her brother, Tom. They kept her hands toasty warm!
One snowy afternoon, Lily and Tom were building a magnificent snowman. They rolled and rolled the snow until it was taller than Tom! Lily was so busy decorating the snowman with carrot noses and twig arms that she didn’t notice one of her mittens had slipped off.
When it was time to go inside for hot cocoa, Lily realized… one mitten was missing! “Oh no!” she cried. “My red mitten is gone!” Tom helped her look, but the snow was falling fast, and the mitten was nowhere to be found.
Lily felt very sad. She imagined her mitten all alone in the cold snow. Grandma Rose had put so much love into making them. Tom gave Lily a big hug. “Don’t worry, Lily,” he said. “We can look again tomorrow.”
The next morning, the sun was shining. Lily and Tom went back outside. They searched and searched, but still no mitten. Just as Lily was about to give up, she saw Old Man Fitzwilliam, the kindest man in town, shoveling his walkway. He was wearing… a bright red mitten!
“Excuse me, Mr. Fitzwilliam,” Lily called out. “Is that… my mitten?” Old Man Fitzwilliam smiled. “Why, yes, it is! I found it near your snowman yesterday. It looked so cold, I decided to wear it while I shoveled. My hands get chilly, you see.”
Lily was so happy! She thanked Mr. Fitzwilliam and carefully put the mitten back on. It felt even warmer than before. She realized that even though she had lost her mitten, someone else had found it and used it with kindness.
Lily learned that day that even when things get lost, good things can still happen. And she learned that a warm hug from her brother, and the kindness of others, were even warmer than her red mittens. She snuggled close to Tom, feeling grateful for everything she had. Now close your eyes, little one, and dream sweet dreams of warm mittens and kind hearts.