Lenten Post March 17th

As I drove to work this morning, I observed a number of pairs of geese sitting out on ice of the various ponds and sloughs they've come to claim as theirs for the purpose of raising their young. As the snow fell I wondered how prophetic they were feeling this morning! For those of you yearning for a little goose music, here's a link for you. All you need to do is click on the "listen" button above the picture of the goose.

For many of us, hearing or seeing a goose, particularly of the canada variety, isn't that big of a deal. Yet it wasn't that many years ago that the only ones we would see would be flying north in the spring or south come fall. In fact, geese in general have become so common that they are often considered pests. I can recall making family trips to Horicon National Wildlife Refuge each fall just to look at the 125,000 or so canada geese using the refuge. My kids don't think twice about seeing a goose.

Much of the explosion of the goose population has been due to our alteration of their environment. We've eliminated virtually all of their predators. They thrive in areas of short grass - suburban lawns, golf courses, airports. It's a shame they've gotten to the point where people take them for granted and even moreso that they despise them for the mess they make of our parks, lakes, and sidewalks. Yet each spring, they instinctually wing northward; not doubting whether or not the habitat necessary for them to successfully raise their young will be there. I realize I'm giving a goose the ability to reason, but I still think we can learn a lesson about faith from these amazing creatures.

Peace,

Jeff