Is there anything so magical, so mystical as hearing a breeze come up from out of nowhere? It could be on a sultry, sticky August afternoon in New England when, the afternoon turning to dusk and the sky darkening to the north and west, you hear the first sounds of leaves stirring in thick trees. Or, you’re laying down for an afternoon nap and you hear the wind chimes out on the patio start tinkling away. Or, sitting on a rock by the ocean on an unusually hot June afternoon and suddenly you feel the wind shift and the air cool as a fog bank starts rolling in on you. Or, a late night when you can’t sleep and you walk out on your back deck and look up at the stars and hear in the darkness all kinds of trees stirring uneasily in the breezy night. And is there a better feeling in the world then being outside on a warm October day in New England when the wind comes up and the leaves are flying all around you, making scratching sounds as they skid along the pavement. I always feel blessed and touched by God when a falling leaf hits me on its trip to the ground. Do you?

Next to the sound of distant thunder and waves washing up on the shore the sound of wind in the trees touches me in a strange and magical way. I always feel smaller in God’s creation as I watch the results of the movement of the earth and the conflict between high-pressure and low-pressure systems make Creation dance with joy. One of my finest memories golfing with the Goodboys was a breezy Halloween day on a Green Meadow course that was anything but – covered with a bed of oak leaves the warm wind put everything in motion in such a way that you felt a mere player in Creation’s game.

…Of course, alternatively, one of the harshest experiences one can have is walking outside on an early New England February morning, the sky rosy and cold above you, the wind finding its way through any and every crevasse in your clothes to create an immediate chill.

We have a couple of pieces of metal art on our outside walls and it’s always a comfort to me when, in the middle of the night, I’m awakened by the sound of soft banging against the walls when a wind comes up. As much as I want to snuggle further under the covers, I can’t help but get up and walk outside to listen to Creation in motion.

And, is there a more peaceful sight than curtains stirring in an open window on a warm summer night?

Of course, wind can be a destructive force, as the folks in the Philippines are finding out as I speak. Prayers and positive thoughts go out to the good folks there in the hopes the loss of life and folks’ way of life will be minimal. On a smaller scale, it’s frustrating to see a nice, healthy queen palm stalk get broken and bent by a strong gust coming from the southwest. But you take the good with the bad.