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Neeterduck?



Yes, neeterduck. Why do I have that user name?


Well, it was my nickname in college. Well, it started before that.
Surprisingly, as I started to type, I realized that it's a really long story, that actually has to deal with what I was going to write about today.

I have a large collection of rubber ducks. In fact, the duck collection is quite insane. The collection started with two special ducks.

One is a duck from Germany. It is a necklace by Janosch. I bought it while I was on a choir tour with my high school choir. My host had the same necklace. Since then I have received the actual toy that the necklace is based on, along with a large print of the duck. I wore the necklace almost every day of college. It's in my driver's license picture. I don't wear it anymore, but it's still important.

The other duck is a rubber duck. It's a duck. Visibly, there is nothing special about the duck. I bought it while I was on choir tour with my church choir. Because the tech crew of the choir was referred to as the Ducks (we used a lot of duct tape), I bought a mascot on one of our fun stops. This duck has traveled to many places. It has a prized spot on my shelf.

What do these ducks mean to me? These ducks are concrete reminders of my communities. I am still close friends with members of both of those choirs. Geographically, I may be far away from friends that I call family. They are there when I am in need. The ducks remind me that I am not alone in this crazy thing called life.

So in college, people saw me with these ducks. Then someone blurted out "Duck, Duck, Neeterduck," and it kinda stuck. (Anita gets shortened a lot to Neeta or Neeter)

So, today, I saw all of the friends that were there when Neeterduck was blurted out, plus some. These friends are also family. We support each other, we are there for each other in times of joy, sorrow and need.

As Meredith Grey said, "Friends are the family we choose."

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1

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