With heartfelt Sympathy
by Cheryl McClure
Title
With heartfelt Sympathy
Artist
Cheryl McClure
Medium
Photograph - Photography / Digital Art
Description
This is a sympathy card with a very special meaning. When my mother passed away, we went to an old family plot in Oklahoma to bury her. There were just a few of us in the family that went. As we laid her to rest, we could hear the geese honking and as we gazed up to the sky we could see their formation. I took a few pictures of them as the flock passed over us. It was such a spiritual experience and it was like a knowing that our love for each other would carry us through this sad time. Later on, as I was going through my mother's things, I found this article and it is so fitting!! What a blessing it was!
A Lesson From the Geese
1. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an "uplift" for the bird following. By flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds 71% flying range than if each bird flew alone.
Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
2. Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the "lifting power" of the bird immediately in front.
Lesson: if we have a smooch sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed where we want to go.
3. When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and other goose flies at the point position.
Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks, and sharing leadership - with people, as with geese, interdependent with each other.
4. The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
Lesson: We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraging - not something less helpful.
5. When a goose gets sick or wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow him down to help and protect him. They stay with him until he is either able to fly again or dies. Then they launch out on their own, with another formation or to catch up with their flock.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as the geese, we'll stand by each other like that.
[A Lesson From the Geese appeared in the November 1988 edition of Nebraska Synod (ELCA) Update, where it was credited to Milton Olson one of the Region IV's directors for Outreach.]
Uploaded
July 31st, 2014
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