It took me a long time to puzzle out the meaning of this quote.  It came to me at a time when I needed a piece of wisdom to guide my life and help me make sense of what was happening.  As a family, we were going through a very difficult time.  My son was at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, attending the Dr. Gordon Townsend School in order to deal with his mental health challenges.  He was just a little boy at that time – seven years old seemed so young to have to struggle through such things.  But as we battled through this alongside him, I came to the realization that although we couldn’t change what was happening in Nate’s inner world, we could adjust our response to it.  In so doing, we could help to direct his development and healing.  I believe many things in life can be explained by this quote.  There are so many things that are out of our control…yet we can adjust our responses, and in the end, this can help us to reach calm waters.

We Cannot Direct the Winds
-By Krista Longeway

As I sail the waters of life, I know
We cannot direct all the winds that blow
Although at times the sky is clear and bright 
At other times the clouds are dark as night
Yet even as the wild wind gusts and wails
We can still carefully adjust our sails
And then sail a straight course towards the sun
Reaching calm waters when the day is done