“Pleasant words are flowing honey, sweet to the taste and healing to the bones.” – Proverbs 16:24
On the dashboard of my daughter’s car is a little yellow duck. She calls him “duckie.” For her, duckie is just a playful decoration that gives her car a little character and a little joy. After all, who doesn’t like yellow rubber ducks? There are fun songs about yellow ducks, like the one made famous by Sesame Street’s own Ernie, “Rubber Duckie.” I know the famous yellow duck has been part of the bath time in our house for all three of our children. Yellow rubber ducks have been a part of society since the early 1940s.
Jim Preston understood that the yellow rubber duck is something that many people enjoy. That is why Jim bought hundreds of the little yellow toys and used them to help inspire people during the past 14 months. Jim lives on a busy street in Menlo Park, California. Each day he would wake up, before sunrise, and use the toy ducks to spell out a word of encouragement in his front yard. He wanted to offer hope and inspiration during a time of uncertainty and lockdown.
At first, Jim would use his army of ducks to spell out phrases like, “Be Kind,” “No Fear” and “Be Strong.” Eventually, he began to hear from the people who saw his messages. The duck messages were working, and people began making requests. Some asked for him to wish loved ones a, “happy birthday,” while others offered other positive suggestions. Jim was glad to share these words, as well.
The past year was difficult, to say the least. Our patience was tested by lockdowns, mandates, worry, and the pain that COVID-19 brought to our world and to our personal lives. The media was a constant stream of bad news. It seemed like there were few positive things happening in our world. Jim Preston used the simplicity of a toy to share encouragement with strangers driving through his neighborhood. Those yellow ducks helped to shine the bright light of hope in the midst of dark times.
We are all called to share hope and love with the world. There are few things more powerful than a positive word or phrase. Positive words have a way of bringing joy and edifying those who hear. It is so simple to share a compliment, a word of gratitude, or an encouraging phrase… you don’t have to spell it out with rubber ducks… but you can if you want to do so. When we share kind words, we can bring joy and healing to our neighbors and our world.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
