 Tue, Jul 08, 2008 05:40 PM
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2008-03-21  Opinion | TERRI HINTZ
Easter was the perfect kite flying day
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March 27, 2008 | 03:00 PM
After church and lunch, my friend and I took our kids to the park to run out some of their chocolate high while we girls walked and talked. It was sunny but very windy and the kites dotted various levels in the Suwanee skyline.
Our girls were enamored with the kites. My daughter, true to her nature, quickly found someone willing to give her control of the spool of twine at the end of his kite. She squealed as it rose higher and she anchored herself as the wind threatened to pull the kite out of her hands. She had a toucan by the tail for a moment.
The girls finished their kite command and realized that the wind was too strong to turn jump ropes or toss the Frisbee. So instead, they hopped on their scooters and turned cartwheels in the grass.
While we walked, I watched the kites bob and toss on the wind. What a strength in something we cannot really see! Swirled into a tornado, wind is destruction. Light and gentle on a hot summer day wind is pure refreshment.
Today, as we walked one side of the park the strong wind made us shiver despite the sunshine. On the other side of the park, it put extra power in each step and propelled us in the direction we wanted to go. Sometimes it is destructive or agitating and other times welcome and uplifting.
The wind is not the only instance when we wrestle with what we cannot see.
Stress can creep up and rob us of sleep, focus and peace.
Joy can bring an air of optimism that energizes all we do.
Guilt can paralyze us into inaction and a swirl of regret.
Love can sooth the soul and smooth out the ruffled corners of our lives.
Like the wind, we may not know exactly where those forces come from in our life or why and often we cannot control the direction they ultimately take us, either. We can, however, look for opportunity in each breeze of trial or opportunity.
A traffic accident that left teen Will Carter fighting for his life and took him from the path to college to the road of recovery was not what he or his family had expected. But, it became a means for a community to rally support and love for him and his family. A near tragedy became the opportunity to shine a spotlight on a cause close to the heart of this teen - the poor and needy in the far away land.
A promotion at work can fast track a career to new heights or the slowed economy can leave families searching for a new way to pay the bills. Will you teach your children how to be responsible with newly gained power and wealth? Will you guide them on how to weather hard times and show them firsthand the value of having saved for such a rainy day?
We can no more tell the kite where to fly in the sky than control every aspect that affects our lives. We can however choose to be anchored, wise and deliberate in our reaction to the winds of change. Manage the positive changes with a sense of good stewardship and gratefulness. Address difficult changes with the realization that amid difficult times are some of the greatest lessons of life and good character.
Whether it is a sunny spring afternoon full of promise or a windy day of trials – go fly a kite – and see where you might end up!
- www.gwinnettherald.com
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