Opal Thomsen is a long-time friend of the family.  This is a true story from the plains of a small rural town in Southern Minnesota.

We all lived on farms in a rural community near Tyler, Minnesota. The year was 1948. This day started out just like any other. It was time for school and the neighbors and I were on our way to school.  
Our school was a one-room schoolhouse, with grades 1 - 8. I was in the 3rd grade with one other student.

As we started our lessons that morning, we couldn't help but notice the snow that started to fall so peacefully. Weather reports weren't like they are today, so we had no way of knowing what was coming. Soon this peaceful snow turned into a blizzard packed with high winds. Snow wasn't unusual to me and in my short years I had witnessed many snowfalls, but this promised to be more than my little mind could imagine. For the first time, I began feeling afraid and wondered how we would ever get home. 

School was closed early due to the weather and since it was impossible to drive, we were forced to find emergency housing anywhere we could in nearby homes. My brother, two other children and I were invited to stay with a family I didn't know. They had six children of their own. That night II slept with two other girls in a small bed. We stayed warm cuddling with each other while the winds and snow continued to howl around us. I was afraid. I had never spent a night away from my mom and dad. I lay awake that night for a long time wondering if I would ever see my parents again. I looked around and saw the contentment of my peers and soon drifted soundly asleep.

The next morning I awoke to the smell of oatmeal. While the blowing snow  continued outside, we all soon became friends inside. In a short time we were no longer strangers, but children with a common need -- survival.

I remember we passed the time by playing hide and seek in the basement.  The girls also let me play with their beautiful porcelain dolls.

Finally, on the third day, Dad was able to get through the twelve-foot snowdrifts and take us home. I was so excited to see him, I forgot to thank my hosts. My mother gave me when I got home. The smells and sounds of our home became normal in a short time.  

Today my parents are deceased by the memory of this scary time will stay with me forever.

Don Schmitz is a popular speaker and writer on parenting and grandparenting. He is the author of The New Face of Grandparenting…Why Parents Need Their Own Parents and founder of The Grandkidsandme Foundation and Grandparent Camps. Don holds graduate degrees in Education, Administration and Human Development. He is the father to three sons and nine grandchildren. Contact Don@grandkidsandme.com