He had five offspring and was guarding them on the side of the trail. His mate calmly rested nearby and the scene at first glance seemed rather ordinary. A young troop of goslings and a rabbit. Rabbit?
The protective nature of wild geese made the inclusion of the rabbit rather extraordinary. One might assume that one bite from the gander would deter the invader yet this bunny was not only welcome but protected.
Daddy constantly kept close eye and if bunny would hop ahead, he would stride over and in firm but kind terms reset the structure of bunny in the middle and goslings on the sides.
That rabbit was not born into that family; it would never fly and most certainly did not have the defenses that geese do, yet it was welcome and protected regardless of the vast difference in appearance. Without a second thought the family welcomed the bunny and the gander guarded it just as he protected his own. He was an inclusive daddy – the kind of leader we need in our families, our communities and our nations today.
In the same shared space, the bunny was born a bunny – the goose born a goose. There is no defining line to judge who belongs in a family, community or nation and who does not. We all belong. This father goose through his example brought home the importance of acceptance and the opportunities we have to live harmoniously in the same space regardless of what we look like or whether or not we will ever swim or fly.
Inclusion starts at home and grows from there to a universal belief and understanding in the value and in the promise of all others.
