(random thoughts to share on a cold February morning)
We live about a half mile from the Chesapeake, so this morning I decided to go for a walk down to the bay. Temps were below freezing but it was a calm and pleasant morning – at first. Before I reached the water, a northwest wind started howling, building white caps on the water. Wrapping my scarf warmly around my head, I continued to walk along the shore.
When I looked up, I noticed an eagle gliding gracefully overhead. I stopped to watch this majestic bird as it soared back and forth, riding the wind, the white feathers on its head and tail glistening. It would catch an updraft and rise high into the western sky, then glide back down toward the rising sun. Its huge wings were spread wide, moving ever so slightly – just enough to control the direction of its flight.
When I started walking home, snow began to fall, even as the sun was breaking through the clouds. Once again I had to stop, mesmerized by the beauty of nature. Large white flakes were floating all about me – icy crystals glistening in the sun. Then a gust of wind sent them swirling, twisting and turning, spiraling without direction through the air until, ultimately, they would melt or fall to the ground.
And I had to stop and think – are we like snowflakes, moving with the wind, maybe glistening in the sun for a brief time, but allowing the wind to push us and twist us and turn us? I hope we are more like the eagle, soaring – sometimes with the joy of abandonment – but always controlling our direction.
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