The speaker begins by repeating advice they were given: remember the mornings, with their sunlight, hot drinks and glittering snow, and hold onto purity and hope. The poem then admits how hollow that advice can feel. When your "soul turns to ice," even a beautiful morning means little, and the warm memories of autumn, the red leaves and the smell of pine and cinnamon, get buried.
By the end, the speaker is in a quiet, painful position. Lost, bruised kids come to them for help, and the only thing they can offer is the same advice they once received. The kids sigh and leave, their breath visible in the cold. The speaker wishes they had run after them but doesn't. The mood is wintry and sad, tinged with guilt. It captures how hard it is to comfort others when you are still struggling yourself.