The Duck
This duck story keeps coming to mind lately. We've talked about it before, but since it's been coming to mind I thought we'd hear it again. Happy summer!
Good Morning! While I was sitting here waiting at our bench, a story I heard once kept coming to me. A fast-talking preacher from down south told it years ago when we lived in another town. Of everything I have ever heard preached in my 44 years of life, this story may very well be what I have remembered and received the most usable wisdom from. Here it is:
Good Morning! While I was sitting here waiting at our bench, a story I heard once kept coming to me. A fast-talking preacher from down south told it years ago when we lived in another town. Of everything I have ever heard preached in my 44 years of life, this story may very well be what I have remembered and received the most usable wisdom from. Here it is:
There was a bird that lived in Canada. One winter he announced to the other birds, "I’m not flying south for the winter. I’m staying right here!" All the other birds said he was crazy, but he answered, "You’re the ones that are crazy. You’ll get down south, turn around and fly right back up here again next year. What’s the point?!”
The other birds took to flight and left him behind.
Wondering what winter in Canada would be like, the lone bird was pleasantly surprised at the stretch of Indian Summer that lingered long into the fall. "Aha!" he said to himself, "I was right to stay. This is wonderful!”
But then, winter hit full force in the middle of December. Shuddering in the cold the silly bird finally realized, "I must hurry and leave before I freeze to death!”
He took to flight and made it as far as Montana. There, in mid-air, he froze up and tumbled to the ground; landing in a farmer’s barnyard. "Oh, what a stupid bird I am," he moaned to himself. "I should’ve flown south with all the other birds, but now I am about to die.”
Just then a cow in the barnyard strolled past the fallen bird and without realizing it dropped a big cow-plop right on top of him! "Oh, this is just great," mumbled the buried bird. "It’s not bad enough that I’m about to die; now I’m covered with cow manure!”
But then he noticed something he had not expected. The warmth of the plop actually began to thaw him out and restore him to life. "Why, what do you know about that?" said the bird. "This ain’t so bad after all!" Then he began chirping and singing under the pile of cow plop.
Meanwhile, the barnyard cat was passing by and heard the sound of singing coming from the pile. Curious as a cat can be, he pawed around in the pile and uncovered the thawed bird. Their eyes met, there was a silent moment of suspense, and then the cat ate the bird.
The Moral of the Story
· First, not everyone who dumps on you is your enemy.
· Second, not everyone who cleans it off is your friend.
Time for read aloud time at Abundance House. We're a few chapters into The Storybook of Science by Jean Henri Casimer Fabre', and can barely tear ourselves away each day. I'll leave you now with prayers that the truth of the duck story will sink in deep. My prayer is for it to free you in even greater measure than it has me though the years.
Hugs & Prayers for a super great weekend!
Abundantly Blessed