Canadian Geese

This afternoon, I took my dog, coffee, out for a walk along some of the side streets in my town.  As we were walking, a huge flock of Canadian geese flew above us.  I took a few minutes to watch them.  Each bird knew its place in the flock.  When one would get them off course another would take the lead and bring them back in line.  It was amazing to see how each bird maintained the correct amount of distance in the flying pattern and each bird took over the lead. Occasionally, one bird would be in the rear but would be flapping its wings harder and fly faster to catch up. I kept thinking why was that bird alone?  It dawned on me that geese mate for life.  Sometimes, if one has lost its mate, he will fly in circles trying to locate her. Could this be what happened? Or maybe he just got a late start and was trying to catch up with the group. Either way, the group let him know where they were at but they didn't slow down. I was in awe as they flew in total harmony, each one knowing its responsibilities to the flock...even the lonely one.

Michelle