The leaders of
the annual goose gathering do not allow any divergence from the hallowed September
invasion. It’s the only chance that these leaders have
to enforce rest and they allow no interference. It’s the Fall Goose Convocation.
The clan arrives
the first week in September as though they hold a clock in their beak that goes
off with a time-to-rest announcement.
They take over completely. Once they appear, the other residents move
out of the way and wait for permission to join the fringes of their dignified Goose club
meetings.
By now, the
second week in September, the full family of 43 settles in and begins a daily routine:
breakfast near the shore, group exploration of deeper waters and short excursions. This formal get-away is an away-from-it-all moment-in-time, a place of
rest.
My role is to listen and to watch—to visit them daily—especially in the morning light. Clearly, this goose hotel is a where they gather strength and increase substance. The "clock over their beaks" will sound in November and they will gather their young ones for long flight time South.
Next year, this family will return with their little ones arriving as adults. The kids will have completed their schooling
in the furnace of affliction and have experienced the struggle to endure hours of
flight into the night hours. Next year they
will know from experience the extraordinary value of rest.
