just ducky...

 There is a Swedish proverb that I learned recently "Shared joy is a double joy, shared sorrow is half a sorrow."  

Today I was able to share a joy and a sorrow and I think both parts of this proverb proved true.

Every Sunday after the 11:00am service at my church we have a coffee hour. It's a time to chat with friends I know well and also to make new friends.  Today's coffee time began when a friend sat down with me and a few other people at our table and shared live pictures from a camera feed to her phone.  What we saw was a mama duck who had made a nest in my friend's flower bed, up close to the side of the house.  As we looked at the camera we saw the duck sitting on her ground nest.  We were told that she was sitting on 15 eggs.  We all watched for a while as we drank our coffee and ate our cookies. The duck was just sitting there, not doing anything very interesting, until suddenly she raised up, just a little, and a newly hatched duckling poked its head out from under the mama. What a joy.  We all cheered.  Truly a shared joy.

Gradually, people left to head home and I realized that one other person and I were the last ones left at our table.  She was a casual friend, someone I know from committee meetings but not really well.  I asked her how she was doing, remembering that she had been having some health problems, though I didn't know the details.  She said "ok" but her voice didn't sound like she was really ok so I said that I knew she hadn't been well during the last couple of years but really didn't know the details.  She told me all about the very rare cancer that she had been diagnosed with and all the tests and teatments she has been going through since 2019.  She talked and talked and I listened.  I think that sharing her sorrow really did help, at least I hope so.  She seemed 'lighter' and happier as we parted.  

So remember that Swedish proverb and make time to share other people's joys (that's easy) and sorrows (harder but you might really be helping someone).  All you risk loosing is a little bit of your time.