Where the Wild Winds Blow: A Gentle, Southerly Mama takes her Little Wind to Work Day

Where the Wild Wind Blows: Part 2

The little boywind, rustling into a windsome sleep,
asked,
“Sweet, warm, sunny mama,
may tomorrow I fly with you
and learn the ways
of Springtime
and warm Summershine.

“Come and see,
a day’s work with me,”
his gentle, southerly mama answered.

Morning rose sunny and bright,
The little wind shook himself awake
asking,
“What’ll we do today, Mama?”
What’ll we do today?”

“There is Spring to clean,” answered the motherly
wind,
forever bending,
picking
stray cirrus threads,
rolling great skeins
and yarn balls,
then tucking them
into blue and white checkered
apron pockets.

“Will we do Big and little things,
Little and big?”
he asked.

Flapping white apron clouds,
the great motherly wind
sent
grey, cold winter clouds
to sit
in another corner
of the world:
“Shoo winds shoo,”
she called
and called again,
the call of Spring.
thunder Clapped
and Barked
to a spring time beat
calling idle winds
to work

Spring began
twirling,
whirling,
swirling
finishing jobs,
beginning jobs
Spring cleaning jobs
whispering,
“Listen and Hear
Watch and see
what the wild winds of the world be.”

moving snow clouds out,
carrying rain bales in
washing dusty,
dirty,
brown grass green
in backyards, interstate, and neighboring seams

Flowers Marched to the beat
of an unruly wind
as the earth danced
and doseydooed
a May Day promenade:

Spring breezes toting
water droplets
bustled and bumped
into the wild winds
that grumbled and shook
Spring skies to thunder sounds.

The breezes fluttered
and shuddered
spilling
droplets
of water.
For a moment
rain poured

sending them to the Summer corner of the world
Settling her little wind in a backyard maze

his motherly wind
let him blow to dry
cotton colors on clothes lines.
tangling, teasing,
the clothes twitched,
flapped, and pitched
as little winds tagged and tangled
clothesline rainbows
of shirts, pants, sheets,
socks, and other clothing what-knots.

His mother rolled away her yarn balls
coaxing the sun to shine
so man could grow the hay
then she held the rains at bay
for a day
so man could cut and bale
rolls and squares of gold

sweetly the little boywind smelled
until winding through dusty, dry
summer hay fields
hearing
a different melody
a motherly melody
she called her dusty little boywind
to wash clean of Spring dust
and Summer sweat
off the beaches of Holiday

finished winding her cirrus strings
into great white skeins,
grey ones, too,
Homeward they blew, talking
about big and Little things,
Little and big.

“Mama, must we forever roll
the rain bales and tug the shade?”
asked her little boywind.

The gentle mother wind answered,
“The winds blow clouds
which hold all weather:
rain, snow, hail, clear.
we blow water clouds
to dry, thirsty land.
and dry, thirsty clouds
to wet land.
we shade the scorching sun
and move the seasons:
summer, winter, fall spring
We sweep water from walkways,
streets, cowpaths and forest trails
We feel and are felt
with our . . .”

The little wind interrupted, whistling happily, “Big and little things,
Little and big”

22+ Years ago, when I wrote Where the Wild Winds Blow, I loved the Father, but I didn’t realize I was a beloved daughter of The King. I didn’t realize that He would make whole my brokenness, or that all my quirky ways were designed by Him. I especially did not understand that He created a life plan that would unfold each day, each step closer to Him – and that plan meant that being a southerly mama was part of being holistically me, along with the writer, the wife, the homemaker, the teacher.

Below are some phrases from the text that have become more enriched, more meaningful to me in the last 22 years. It’s not so much the story behind the story, but the story after the story.

“We feel and are felt
with our big and Little things
Little and big”

“The Purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out” (Proverbs 20:5)

Springtime, Summershine, Coldly Winter Weeks, the Fall Corner

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecc. 3:1)

tiny seeds that slept and burrowed deep

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5: 7-12)

as father and son wind walked quietly,
sometimes loudly,
whistling, groaning,

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,
and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2: 1-6)

rolling great skeins

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19)

hearing a different melody . . . .coaxing the sun to shine

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them” (Isaiah 42:16)

finishing jobs, beginning jobs

“The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever–do not abandon the works of your hands” (Psalm 138:8)

We feel and are felt
with our big and Little things
Little and big

Thursday come discover The Time for Finding Windwho o o o s – a story to help children understand how their actions tell people who they are.

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