I sat outside, like I do every morning, enjoying the sunrise over the pond that is filled with ducks and geese. Yet this morning I heard something different. It was a duckling that did not look like the rest calling out to his mother, but there was no answer. Day after day I watched him call out to his mother. Day after day there was no response. He curled up alone on the shore at night as close as he could to the other ducks and ducklings in the pond.
Most avoided or ignored him. They are all mallard ducks. He is not. He is the only Blue Swedish duck in the pond. Three other Blue Swedish ducks have appeared at our pond a few times, but just a very few times, and I have not seen them here in months. I have seen them at one of the other neighborhood ponds, but they are too far to hear his cries.
It’s Texas. It’s very hot. The temperatures have been over a hundred degrees on many days this summer. The other ducks prefer the ponds with more shade trees about. So they fly off leaving him here at our pond. Alone and crying for his mother.
I use to call him cry baby. I decided to give him a proper name. I researched the meaning of names and finally decided on the name Tate which means “cheerful”. Sometimes I call him Tater and other times he’s my Tater Tot. A few weeks ago my silly Tater who dashes about catching bugs could barely walk. My heart ached for him. I prayed for God to heal his injured foot or leg.
Then one day after all the other ducks were gone, he was no where to be found. My heart began to ache. I watched for him all day. I knew he couldn’t fly yet. The day before he was barely walking. I worried so much that he must have gotten eaten and I would never know what happened to him. I would never see him again. The fear was tormenting. I posted on the neighborhood media site asking if anyone had seen him. I tossed and turned that night and decided to talk to God about how I could be in so much fear over a wild duck.
For years I had taught on the Love of God, agape. I realized that I was not loving Tater with the love of God. I was walking in human love for him. I let that go and offered my heart as a vessel for God to love Tater through. The fear drained away even though I still didn’t know what had become of him.
The next morning all the ducks had returned and there he was lying on the bank as ducks scurried around him. A large group of ducklings were running around together and eventually began to cross the street towards another pond in the neighborhood. Tater cried out and with a definite limp ran to where they were crossing and went to the other pond with them. Later that day a neighbor responded that she had seen him the day before at the pond behind her home running around with the group of ducklings.
Little by little his limp has disappeared. I can’t do that but God can. Many days he stays here alone now. He can’t fly and apparently this type of duck rarely does. He cries and rushes over when other ducks or geese return for dinner. They seem to find him annoying, but he’s happy to have the company.
I prayed for him to be healed and God healed him. I prayed for God to watch over him when he disappeared and God brought him home safely. Now I am praying Psalm 68:6 over him. “God sets the solitary in families….” I can’t do that but God can and I just have to get my own emotions and fears out the way and let God love (agape) Tater and trust God to set my sweet, silly Tater Tot into a family of his own.