Something amusing happened on Sunday. A little ray of hope that brightened my day, and it all came about some may say by chance, but I've come to see these random encounters as a God wink, a touch of Providence in timing. Oddly enough, it had to do with ducks.
Four years ago, a blonde-haired woman and her mother would regularly drive to the local lake in a red SUV to feed the ducks. She carried a bowl of yellow cracked corn and would shout at the waters' edge, "Here DUCKIES!" Her fowl friends would clamor ashore from all directions to greet her. Fondly, I silently named her the Duck Lady and learned where to buy corn feed for the ducks. For some reason, she and her mother stopped coming to the lake, but whenever I saw a red SUV pass by, I wondered about her.
On Sunday I got my answer.
Elliot and I recently found a new park with a wide concrete trail circling a lake, in another town, eight miles away. On Sunday as we walked around the lake, two women passed us by heading in the opposite direction on the path. One wore a cheerful yellow T-shirt. BE THE SUNSHINE! We smiled, and I called out, I love your tee shirt. Walking on, Elliot thought she looked familiar, something about her smile. Maybe she was the Duck Lady, only this woman had brown hair.
Not wanting to miss an opportunity to thank her, I turned back, calling out, "Are you the Duck Lady?" She stopped, and as we gathered, in a moment's reflection the pieces fell together.
"Thanks to you, I feed the ducks cracked corn, and know where to get it." I told her.
Smiling she asked about the ducks, how many were there? And also was happy to hear the update on Papa and Mama Sandhill Crane. Her mother, also had on a yellow sun emblem T-shirt. She looked at us, and said, "I was just thinking about you yesterday wondering where you are."
Really? Goosebumps rippled.
God is in the details.
The nature loving pair was happy to hear their duck family was being well-fed, and we all parted with big smiles...
Then, further down the trail, she turned, and called out with a big laugh, "Now, you're the Duck Lady!"
"Duck Lady II!!!" I laughed, holding up two fingers.
And, so I am thankful to begin each morning with a trip to the lake to greet a fleet of happy webbed-feet. Tails wagging, running toward me and my large tin of cracked corn.
Later, it dawned on me that the Duck Lady showed up to feed me an angel message that sunny afternoon:
BE THE SUNSHINE.It's wonderful that God knows the desires of our heart, and will speak softly to each of us according to our needs, and His ways are not our ways. But that makes it a grand mystery as we expect the happy things of God to come to us day by day.
Be the Sunshine.
Love and peace,
Rae Karen
