Family members are generally considered close to us by most people. In contrast, those in less fortunate circumstances may need to rethink what family means to them.
The same thing happened to Fred and his nine adoptive ducklings! Mountfitchet Castle in Stansted, Essex, is home to a 10-year-old Labrador. In Fred’s parents’ home, Jo and Jeremy Goldsmith, many rescued animals live.
This made Fred a big brother to creatures who had been through a lot. It wasn’t until Fred proved he could be a mother, too. A group of nine ducklings wandered around the castle without seeing their mother, so the castle’s employees took them in. Locals assumed the ducklings would suffer the same fate as their mother, who was killed by a fox. It was never expected that Fred and the ducklings would become so close. There is something we can all learn from this story.
True family doesn’t require blood ties or being of the same species, as Fred and his ducklings at Mountfitchet Castle demonstrate. The foundation of a true family is genuine love and compassion.
