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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>453 words<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Snow Angels<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>By DeAnna Quietwater Noriega<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in'>Lisa tucked the sleeping puppy into the outgrown fleece lined slipper Ryan had donated to the cause. His tummy was round and hard filled with milk. She checked the time on the alarm clock, in two hours, it would be Mike's turn to feed him. Lisa looked out of the window to where her brothers were playing. They had been flinging themselves down onto the untouched snow, moving their arms and legs back and forth to make angel impressions in the soft whiteness left by last night's snowfall. Ryan lay perfectly still with his eyes closed. Lisa watched him for five minutes. Surely, he hadn't dropped off to sleep in the cold? she slipped on her new coat and sped outside.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in'>"Ryan! What are you doing?" she called.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:2.0in;text-indent:.5in'>Her six-year old brother stirred to look up at her out of large, solemn brown eyes. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:2.5in;text-indent:.5in'>"I just wondered what it would feel like if mama had decided I was too little to keep and put me out in the snow," he said.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:3.0in;text-indent:.5in'>Lisa bent to pull Ryan to his feet.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:3.0in;text-indent:.5in'>"Don't be silly! Mama would never do such a thing! Little or not, mama loves you as much as she loves me and Mike. Someday, you will probably grow to be bigger than me. All babies start out little, but boys usually get bigger than girls do. Now come inside and get warmed up," his sister scolded. "I need you to take your turn feeding the puppy you know. Mike and I can't do it all." I reckon we'll have to keep you even if you are just a runt."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:3.0in;text-indent:.5in'>As her three children trooped into the kitchen, Mary Swan slid a pan of hot biscuits from the oven. Beef stew and biscuits wasn't a ham or turkey, but her budget wouldn't stretch to much more than the stew meat and at least it was filling.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:3.0in;text-indent:.5in'>Lisa helped Ryan strip off his wet mittens and coat. She explained to mama what he had been doing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:3.0in;text-indent:.5in'>Mary looked at the three earnest flushed faces of her children. She reached to pull them into a group hug. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:3.0in;text-indent:.5in'>"there will always be plenty of room for all of you in my heart," she said. "Don't you know that love stretches? The more people you hold in your heart, the bigger it gets. Little or big, there is always enough room for all, even one little no account puppy with a black patch round his left eye. Now get yourselves washed up for supper while it is nice and hot. That puppy of yours will be hollering for his before you know it, so, you'll want to have yours done by then."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>