Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Gifts

"Our strongest gifts are usually those we are barely aware of possessing. They are a part of our God-given nature, with us from the moment we drew first breath, and we are no more conscious of having them than we are of breathing...

"If we are to live our lives fully and well, we must learn to embrace the opposites, to live in a creative tension between our limits and our potentials. We must honor our limitations in ways that do not distort our nature, and we must trust and use our gifts in ways that fulfill that potentials God gave us. We must take the no of the way that closes and find the guidance it has to offer - and take the yes of the way that opens and respond with the yes of our lives."
--Parker Palmer, "Let You Life Speak"

Things I am thankful for today:

1. The hubby gave me a chuckle by locking himself out this morning - even if it was 6:15am.
2. Being awake for a beautiful morning.
3. This story about a banker in Spokane, WA, helping a mama duck and her babies to safety. So cute.
4. An understanding boss.
5. A fun staff.
6. Cheap tickets to Pittsburgh to see my sister and her family!
7. My other sister, Kayla's, choir concert. So fun to see my old choir director direct again!
8. A gorgeous drive home at 9:30pm - it's beautiful out!
9. Summer is officially here! 98 degrees today!
10. The hubby was kind enough to make me a chocolate banana malt when I got home. Just what I needed to end the day!

5 comments:

Carol E. said...

I love the duck story! When I worked at a local high school there was a mother duck who always nested in the school courtyard, right up against the window, so we got to watch.. The school put a kids' wading pool out there so the duck family would have water to drink and play in until they were old enough to move. However, there was no way out of the courtyard other than flying. So every year the staff would go out there and gather them all up and move them to Lake Phalen. (Mommy duck hated this process!) After 4 years of this the principal gave the mother duck a diploma. They were sooo cute to watch! It was a ready-made lab right there by the school (floor to ceiling windows). During the nesting season the students were wonderful about not using the courtyard so that the duck could hatch her babies in peace. After she graduated, the duck decided to move on and did not return to her school nesting site.

Unknown said...

I can't read the story at work r-rated story

Megs said...

LOL Beth, it's just a video clip from abc news... Nothing r-rated about it!

And Carol, I love your story! My mom's cousin was a principal of a school in Iowa where they took care of a duck mama and chicks every year too - and then, the whole school would line up outside on the day the ducks marched to the water - and everyone would cheer them on! I think there's a youtube of that too... I'll look for it!

Unknown said...

I was trying to say that the site came up blocked at school and the reason said R Rated...not sure why! I am going to try it here at home.

Unknown said...

oh so sweet! Lucky for the ducks that he was at catching!

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