Canadian geese are amazing birds!  When I lived in Michigan I didn’t think they were that amazing though!  My wife and I lived in some apartments in southeast Michigan for a while when we first got married where there were more than enough geese to go around for everyone.  There was a big pond at the front of the property where many of them would migrate back to each year and hang out.  They were nice to look at but you just had to watch where you stepped if you know what I mean?  You didn’t want to feed them because they would just invite more of their buddies over for dinner and you would have more to clean off the bottom of your shoes.  They could also be just plain mean and nasty when they had their babies in the spring.  They would hiss and flap their wings at you if you even got near one of their little ones. A friend of mine taught me a little trick though. If you put your arms out to both sides and walk towards them they will move out of the way. I guess it makes you appear much bigger to them or something.

Canadian geese are extremely loyal to each other and treasure their other family members.  If one of them is injured and goes down on the ground, their mate will go down on the ground with them to protect them and see about them. They will not leave their side until they can fly again or they die. They mate for life!  They can fly about 40 mph and with a good tailwind their speed can reach about 70 mph. When they migrate they can travel about 1500 miles per day which is about the same distance it is from Chicago to Phoenix.

Have you ever looked up into the sky and seen them flying in that classic v formation. They say there are a few reasons they do that. One is for better communication between each other. The other reason is to save energy. When the lead goose gets tired, he flies to the very back and takes his place at the rear of the formation. The lead goose is the one that has to work the hardest since he is breaking into the headwind. Each goose will fly a little higher than the goose in front of him which helps reduce wind resistance. The geese alternate taking turns moving from the front to the back until it is their turn again to be the lead goose. Scientists believe that the geese are almost sixty percent more efficient by working together like this.

Perhaps we should take a hint from the geese as to what works best in life. When our, husband, wife, brother, sister, family member, or friends are down we should go see about them. When life gets to be too much to handle and the load gets to be too much to bear for them, we should take the lead. We should break the wind for them for a while and give them a rest and a lighter load to carry. Just until they are strong enough to do it on their own again. We have to let others help us too when we need help and not think we can do it all on our own if we really can’t.