Windfall

Sometimes, when we are diligently searching but looking in all the wrong places, the very thing we seek waits for us in plain sight. Things we don’t even know we need…

Glad to go out on a mission, I sought the variety of greens that I usually gather for holiday decorations. For cedar, I knew right where to go; the revered old tree had some lower branches that needed pruning. It was easy, using the long-handled loppers, to cut a couple of long branches off.

Once those were down, I pruned off the smaller branches and made a stack on the lawn to be retrieved later.

The Douglas firs were more difficult, as most of the lower branches were gone. Strolling the edge of the pasture, I searched for any possibility when something caught my eye.

 

Scattered about were many small branches blown down by a recent storm. I gathered them up and stacked them into another pile.

 

There is a spot where western white pine cones accumulate. It’s a bit of a mystery as there are none of these trees nearby that I can see, and now there were more there than usual and some unmistakable long-needled branches.

 

I made another pile. When I was finished, I had more than enough fresh greens to do what I wanted and to share with friends and neighbors.

After fifty years of marriage, my husband and I have reached a new plateau, of sorts, in our relationship. Gone are the rounds of endless discussions trying vainly to change a mind, the hurt feelings, the frustrations of not seeing eye-to-eye on an issue. We have always agreed on most of the important things, but have our differences, as everyone does. Perhaps the struggle to turn a partner into someone other than who they really are is a hallmark of youth, but it is one we’ve surrendered to time. We now truly value each other - “warts and all” – and with that acceptance comes a tremendous peace.

 

A few years ago, through a series of volunteer projects, I gradually became acquainted with a couple of remarkable women. One is a chatterbox - innately honest and a warm, caring person with a heart as big as all outdoors and a fierce enthusiasm to throw herself wholeheartedly into any endeavor she is a part of.  The other appears quiet and reserved and can size up a situation quickly, has an eye for detail, and a determined stubbornness when it comes to preserving the environment and all creatures within it.

One is a non-practicing Catholic; the other has probing questions on all things involving faith. We get together often, discuss anything, and respect each other’s opinions. Beyond a doubt, I have become better informed, stronger in my convictions, and more willing to act for causes I believe in because of their willingness to question and share. Ours has become a treasured friendship.

We had been without a dog for fifteen years when a series of circumstances led to our adopting our little rescue terrier, Scruffy. We wanted to find a dog locally, but we found him on the internet. We wanted to travel a short distance, yet we drove to another state to see him. We wanted an uncomplicated process - we visited him at an incarceration facility for young men, but still could not bring him home because the rescue group needed to visit and approve our home. Lord knows he has his issues, unique behaviors, and odd little personality quirks, but he has added a certain energy, challenge, and spirit to our aging lives. He makes us LAUGH harder than we have in years, gets us out of the house daily, and gives us a reason to look forward to every day. And we wonder – just who saved whom?

All of this is windfall - unexpected, unearned, a sudden gain or advantage. In one form or another it comes to all of us, but we need to open our eyes to see and recognize it. And when you do, acknowledge, accept, and value it – trust where it comes from and that there will be more to come.

 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.         Ephesians 3:20-21

Wherever It Pleases

If it were possible to have anything imagined come true, if only for a fleeting second, I would certainly leap to the skies and sail. Arms stretched out wide, legs trailing, I would float and glide effortlessly through the clouds with planet earth far below. It would take only a slight rotation of arms, turn of head, or flex of finger to change altitude, speed or course. Flying as high and far as I wished, washed by the cool air, its whoosh in my ears, I’d surrender myself to its will. Total, exhilarating freedom!

I have witnessed this. Driving home from a trip one year, My husband and I took a long, meandering route and happened onto the unique desert community of Osoyoos, B.C. A resort area, all of the town’s motels crowd the southern end of their large, treasured lake. Because beach access is so desirable and at a premium, these buildings are aligned with their narrow ends along the lake frontage. Rooms with a lake view and balcony are extremely limited. Local schools were not yet out for the summer and it was a weekday, so we were fortunate enough to get one.

Photo by Steve Hilebrand

Just before sundown a strong wind came up from the lake, blowing inland. We stood on the tiny balcony reveling in the view of water and sky, the raw power of wind whipping our hair, flapping our jackets. We became aware of a multitude of Seagulls - all “riding the wind” - approaching gradually and silently. Wings outstretched, they glided slowly by, above and directly in front of us, suspended in air, seemingly close enough to touch. We could hear the wind in their wings, see their slight adjustments of wingtip feathers and tails. No wing flapped; it was as if each bird was tethered to the ground by an invisible string held by some “kite master”.

Seagull by Lee Karney

Silently, they drifted across that end of the lake, changed altitude, then drifted back to where they had begun, over and over again. We found it an incredibly moving sight

              Dad at the Lake
My sister once owned a cabin on a lake in Montana where we gathered as a family each summer.

Winds came up often there, many times sudden and unexpected. I loved the sight and sound of waves crashing along the shore, but our family was always driven into a quick frenzy. There were things to be weighted down or retrieved from the beach, my dad’s motor boat to be hauled out on the “railroad”, outdoor living stuff to be anchored down up at the cabin. Our side of the lake was not timbered, just rolling dry hills covered with sage and juniper brush, so nothing slowed the wind. I doubt that much slows it there, anyway.

Tornado Damage at Canyon Ferry, Montana - 1967

One year a rare, small tornado did damage, daintily plucking the roofs off of two cabins, arbitrarily skipping several (my sister’s among those) then wrecking others before lifting up and away.

Tornado Damage at Canyon Ferry

Another year a wind-driven fire raged, begun by careless outdoor burning. In 2000, tremendous fires raged on both sides of that lake. Our family no longer owns property there, but years of memories drove us to follow the fires’ paths daily. Again, the winds played a role. It's not all bad news - past experience has taught us that the summer after a fire quite often brings an over-abundance of fresh, new growth.

Wind truly is an awesome power - one that I doubt we ever really “control”. Humankind simply learns (or not) to respect it, adapt to it, use it, live with it. It does what it will. So it is with all magnificent forces.

Washington State International Kite Festival
Long Beach, Washington

“Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to the spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”       John 3:6-8

Seagull images from:
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services -  National Digital Library