Years ago, I bought some decorative ducklings for Easter. In the midst of packing and unpacking for multiple moves, the little ducks had been lost and found more than once. We’d been in our new house a few months when I discovered three of these ducks hidden away in a box. After removing the dust from the plush yellow fur, I placed them on three miniature chairs on a shelf in the kitchen. With great satisfaction, it occurred to me that I could finally say I had my ducks in a row.

Our long and seemingly never-ending, snowy winter dragged on through March, squashing our hopes for warmer weather or at least a hint of Spring. And then one day, I found another duck. My original three ducks had been carefully arranged in their miniature chairs and fit perfectly on the shelf. What now? Not knowing what else to do (and never having been blessed with any sort of decorator gene), I plopped duck number four in front of his fellow fowls without a chair of his own, and called it good.

It didn’t take long to figure out that despite my initial success at setting things in order, chaos eventually returned. My ducks were no longer in a row. Instead, they were disorderly and jumbled about like most ducks—and life in general —usually are. At the time, I laughed at my silly thoughts and even shared this ironic observation with friends.

The surrounding mountains are still buried in snow, but it’s slowly beginning to warm up around here. And although I haven’t seen any real live ducklings out and about yet, metaphorical ducks continue to pop up in the pond of life, defying any attempts to create an orderly row. Even so, every time I’m presented with a new duck, all I can do is take the time to consider each one and find just the right place to put the little critter.

I hope you manage to get all your ducks in a row, and remember to cherish the moment and celebrate your success. Because there’s always another duck.

May you have a blessed Easter!