It’s good to be prepared and organised… to have our ducks in a row. However, sometimes, despite our greatest care, our ducks are out of line:
Ducks of Disaster…
Earlier this week footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’s and his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez announced the birth of twins. Their little girl is well but their son died in childbirth. The parents spoke of the ‘greatest pain that any parents can feel’.
Coincidentally this news followed on from the Donna Ockenden report into baby deaths at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust…
Ducks of disaster… however good our organisation, personal disaster can make our ducks fall out of line
Ducks of Difference…
Teaching for 36 years I repeatedly heard the myth that if you teach a bunch of children the same things in the same way… maths, music, morals… they’ll all turn out the same.
Every child was different… the crazy extrovert who loved drama, the overactive gymnast who was constantly on the move, the sensitive child who cared more about people than lessons… We celebrated and delighted in their individuality.
Ducks of difference… We didn’t want uniform, regimented lined up ducks.
Ducks of determination…
Phil has concerns about his daughter… he’s unhappy with work… rising prices cause concern… his wife’s waiting for hospital test results… there’s a problem with his car… a neighbour needs his help…
Sometimes our muddled ducks are all over the place. Trying to line them up would be a waste of time, effort and emotional energy. We just keep going, accepting that for now our ducks can never be in a row.
Ducks of determination… We tend to each out-of-line duck individually, gently, carefully, patiently
Musing… St Paul’s wisdom: ‘I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want… whether my ducks are in a row or out of line… I can do everything through him who gives me strength.’
malcolmsmusings.org 