An amazing True Story about a Mother Duck

A few times each Month I look forward to  having  lunch with a friend at a Park that overlooks a Lake, we enjoy looking at the Ducks and other Birds that seek for food along the waters edge, there is a sign that tells us not to feed the Birds but it seems they can’t read and often let us know they would like to share our lunch.

Last week we sat watching a family of Ducks as we ate, there was Dad, Mum and seven baby Ducks who were not very old, when I stood up and walked towards them to get a closer look, well Dad perceived danger and within a flash Mum and the Babies were hustled into the water as Dad stood his ground.

Wow! this reminded me of how God’s Protects us from danger (Psalm 91:4) and than I also remembered an amazing Story that I had received by e-mail a few years ago about Ducks, so I thought I would share it with you today.

This amazing True Story is about a Mother Duck and her babies and a very caring man named Joel who came to their rescue. Thankfully one of the Secretaries at his Office had a digital camera and was able to capture most of it.

Joel’s Office overlooks busy Riverside Avenue in downtown Spokane, W.A.

Several weeks ago he watched a Mother Duck choose the cement awning outside his window as the uncanny place to build a nest above the sidewalk.

The Mallard laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched over 10 feet in the air. She dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks and Monday afternoon all of her ten ducklings hatched.

Joel worried all night how the Mamma Duck was going to get those babies safely off their perch in a busy, downtown, urban environment to take to water, which typically happens in the first 48 hours of a duckling hatching.

Tuesday morning, Joel came to work and he and the rest of the office workers watched the Mother Duck encourage her babies to the edge of the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off!

The mother flew down below and started quacking to her babies above. In his disbelief Joel watched as the first fuzzy newborn toddled to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the cement below.

My brother couldn’t watch how this might play out. He dashed out of his Office and ran down the stairs to the sidewalk where the first obedient duckling was stuporing near its Mother, from the near fatal fall.

Joel looked up. The second duckling was getting ready to jump! He quickly dodged under the awning while the Mother duck quacked at him and the babies above.

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As the second one took the plunge, Joel jumped forward and caught it with his bare hands before it hit the cement. Safe and sound, he set it by the mamma and the other stunned sibling, still recovering from its painful leap.

One by one the babies continued to jump to join their anxious family below. Each time Joel hid under the awning just to reach out in the nick of time as the duckling made its free fall. The downtown sidewalk came to a standstill.

Time after time, Joel was able to catch the remaining 8 and set them by their approving Mother.

At this point Joel realized the Duck family had only made part of its dangerous journey. They had 2 full blocks to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs, and pedestrians to get to the closest open water, the Spokane River.

The on looking office Secretaries then joined in, and hurriedly brought an empty copy paper box to collect the babies. They carefully corralled them, with the Mother’s approval and loaded them up into the white cardboard container.

Joel held the box low enough for the Mom to see her brood. He then slowly navigated through the Downtown streets toward the Spokane Rive, as the Mother waddled behind and kept her babies in sight.

As they reached the river, the Mother took over and passed him, jumping into the river and quacking loudly. At the water’s edge, the Sterling Bank office Staff then tipped the box and helped shepherd the babies toward the water and to their Mother after their adventurous trip. All ten darling ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up snugly to Mamma Duck.

Joel said the Mom swam in circles, looking back toward the beaming Bank workers and proudly quacking as if to say,

‘See, we did it! Thanks for all the help!’…

There is a wonderful message in this Story as we remember that the Mother Duck had a choice to make… Let her babies’ die of starvation and dehydration or risk a hard landing and safety. Then there was her willingness to trust this strange looking  Man and let him guide her and her babies to a place of protection and comfort.

This is the same for us, God Loves us and hates to see us in pain, yes it may mean a rough landing until we Trust Him but He is always there to break our fall, ease our pain and to comfort and strengthen us and yes at times He has to carry us to shield us from harm.

Isaiah 43:1-3 – Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up the flames will not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.”

Jeremiah 29 :11-12 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of Peace and not of evil, to give you a Future and a Hope.

Lamentations 3: 33 For God doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the Children of Men.

We have to call out to Him seeking His help, because if we go it alone, we will limp for the rest of our lives instead of knowing the Victory we can have in Him.

So like the Mother Duck and her babies we let the Lord guide us to the Living Water so our soul is encouraged and refreshed.

And we remember to Thank the Lord from our heart!

Thanks for sharing your time with me as you read this amazing Story.

“Christ”ian Love Always – Anne.

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