Penguin Love

I have been wanting to see The March of the Penguins movie but haven't yet taken the time to rent it.  And then as I was Christmas shopping yesterday, I came across a book version of it and snatched it up.  I sat at home in the evening and read the whole thing (not that it was entirely wordy and there were several pages of photos) but it captivated me to the end.  I stared awestruck at the photos of their icy, ever-changing world.

I already knew I liked penguins.  Now, I can safely say that I love them.  The emperor penguins and their undying love for their chicks.  The endless, exhausting marches they endure for food for themselves and their babies.  The turns that the parents take in caring for them.  The fathers going without food and huddling together in below freezing temperatures and storms, protecting their eggs while the mothers go to get nourishment for her and her chick.  The way they carry their precious egg on their feet, walking on their heels so that their chick will survive the cold.  The way that a huddled group will rotate so that all of them will stay warm, each taking turns in the middle.  The songs that they sing to each other so that they may find each other after their long marches.   

I am rushing out to rent the documentary because I long to hear these songs of love.  And I want to witness the undying love, determination and sacrifice of these unusual birds.  I am sure there are lessons to be learned within it.