March Of The Ducks

March of the Ducks

Be happy. . . . Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven.

Matthew 5:12

In August each year I attend a large convention for a company with which I work part time. The convention is held in different cities, so I also get to enjoy the sights of a new place, different hotels, various restaurants, and unique people. Occasionally, the convention is held in Orlando, Florida—home of the famous Peabody hotel.

The Peabody is truly a class act, with fountains in the lobby, marble floors, brilliant lighting, and other amenities. But one of the most endearing features of the Peabody is its one-of-a-kind parade of ducks twice a day. Yes, ducks! And the parade of waddlers draws an admiring crowd every time because it’s so cute.

The hotel plays John Philip Sousa’s patriotic march “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” and suddenly ducks gather around the big fountain. A long red carpet is then unrolled from the fountain to the opening of a beautiful curtain. And without missing a beat or making a single quack, the ducks line up and march along the carpet through the opening in the curtain, to the utter delight and applause of the watching audience.

Perhaps you’re wondering why typically undisciplined ducks would consent to this parade twice a day every day. I wondered that too. So one morning, I nonchalantly wandered over to the opening in the curtain and took a peek inside. Voilà! The answer was clear—there was duck food everywhere! And the formal military atmosphere was lost as the ducks quacked, flapped, and competed for the food.

It wasn’t, after all, the parade to which the ducks were dedicated. It was the reward at the end of the parade.

Dear God, you have laid out a beautiful red carpet for us to travel in this life, stained by the blood of your precious Son, and I know that it leads to a great reward in heaven. I commit myself to staying on the carpet, and I thank you for saving me. Amen.