Daily Meditation for April 17, 2025

It’s an iconic spring day with perfect weather: sunny, 78°, trees are blossoming. Our regular summer visitor, Mother Mallard Duck, brought her 12 new ducklings out today, and the community was paged to come and see. Momma always nests in a safe enclosed courtyard, forgetting that ducklings can’t fly yet. So when they hatch, the maintenance men come and run around collecting them in a box and take them out in the yard. Mother Duck always has a panic attack: quacking, flapping, flying overhead. But as soon as the ducklings are free, they form right up in a straight line and follow her into the woods to the river. May they all be safe!

By Mary Jackle, OSB