“Close your eyes and turn your face into the wind. Feel it sweep along your skin in an invisible ocean of exultation. Suddenly, you know you are alive.” ― The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration
March in my part of the country can show you snow, rain, sunshine, sleet, and clouds – sometimes all in the same day. But the one thing you can always expect in Kentucky during March is the wind. I love walking in March winds. Sometimes a gust of wind can sneak up on you and almost lift you off your feet.
When I was a young teen exploring the farm where I grew up, everything was a new discovery and often a new wonder. The beauty of a leaf drifting down on the wind. The wind sweeping through a field of grass. Dew on a new flower. The sight of a rabbit hopping away. Fluffy white clouds against the blue of the sky.
And the push of the wind. I loved how I could get on top of a hill on a windy day and hold out my arms as though somehow those arms would suddenly be feathered wings. I could imagine becoming a bird and flying off into the sky.
Do you think every person, at some time in his or her life, has thought about how great it would be to fly up in the air and float around a while like a fluffy white cloud? The only way to imagine that is peaceful. That is if you stay away from the winds that usher in the storms. March winds can do that too. Tornadoes can happen in the changeable weather of the spring.
But the March winds I’m thinking of right now are the kind with no rain or thunder with them. Instead they come from out of the blue, shake the trees as though trying to wake them out of their winter sleep and make last year’s weeds and bushes rattle and dance. The winds seem to come from nowhere to go who knows where only to disappear completely when the wind loses its breath.
You can’t see the wind. You can feel it on your face. You can see where the wind has been. You might see what the wind has lifted up to carry with it. You can spot the buzzards and hawks floating along on the winds high in the sky and watch butterflies floating along with the breezes.
In the Bible, Jesus compares the Spirit of God to the wind.
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 (NKJ)
Just as we can feel the wind and see where it is, so also we can feel the Spirit and see how it changes us and the world around us. That Spirit may truly lift us up and give us wings someday as the old Gospel song “I’ll Fly Away” says.
The grace of God is a wind which is always blowing.~Ramakrishna
Comments 6
Such a great post. The imagery evoked was inspiring. I love your writing style, Ann!
Blessings~
Author
So sweet of you to say, Robbie, and great to hear from you. I hope you are doing well.
I really wondered if I managed to convey what I hoped to say in this post. I’m glad you thought I did okay.
I love your word pictures and how you express things so fully and aptly. I love the wind and a good breeze too. When I ride my bike one of the things I like the best is what I call the “wind massage” I get from the wind flapping my shirt against my skin. I imagine how wonderful it would be to ride a horse and get that same satisfying sensation. I always look forward to days when I can open the windows and air out the house too. Yes, the breeze has a cleansing and healing effect, just like the Spirit of God. Thank you Ann.
Author
I love the idea of a “wind massage,” Amy. That’s certainly a word picture. I’ve never been a horse rider, but I can imagine it being a great feeling to be on one galloping across a spring field. I have a granddaughter who loves horses and riding. I’ll have to ask her is she feels she’s getting a wind massage.
I’ve never done much bike riding either. I learned to ride on my cousin’s bike. We had an old bike on the farm, but the tires were so old they didn’t hold air. My dad wasn’t into fixing bike tires. 🙂 So I stuck to walking and that worked well with my dogs along with me. I guess it still works well.
Your words are always a blessing to me! The Lord has given you a gift to share our part of Anderson County with the world!
Author
That’s so kind of you to say, Edna. Thank you. I do hope readers who know Anderson County will see the Salt River here in my new story.