Potted mums, a pumpkin (or two or three), a jack-o-lantern, and a stuffed scarecrow adorn my front porch each fall. Sometimes the weather manages to disturb my decorations, making them shift this way or tip that way. My scarecrow used to topple over, so I screwed a tiny hook into the house trim and looped it through his green felt hat. The hook has held him upright for years.

Until now. The wind has been so fierce lately that even the hook cannot keep the scarecrow in place. Every time I climb my porch steps, I see him in a different death pose. Sometimes he’s face down, blocking the front door. Sometimes he’s on his back, staring up at the jack-o-lantern. Once I found him tossed into the bushes. His hat and straw hair are hanging on by one glue strand and the stuffing keeps trying to pour out of his left mitten hand. The wind has battered his poor cloth body to the point where I’m contemplating letting him retire. For now, I will just have to let him stay inside when I know it will be a particularly windy day.

There are many times when I feel like that tattered scarecrow. I’ve had my share of heart-ache stress, and disappointments. Life can be brutal, tossing us around until we start falling apart. Sometimes we are just worn out and may want to give up. But the wind won’t last forever—even if you live in Kansas like I do. There’s bound to be some sunshine on the way.

So for now, I’m going to try to keep it together. I’ll go inside to escape when the wind becomes tornadic and allow myself to rest. But then I’ll head back out prepared to face the storm.

Hang in there, my frayed friend. A gentle breeze may be in the forecast soon.