To me... it's always been a morning dove... not a mourning dove.

A 'morning' dove on our porch rail

There's an eerie sound I hear almost every day (oddly enough, it's one of my favourite outdoor sounds) during the summer months. It's that of a mourning dove - that I think has its nest in the spruce trees next door. As this dove sits on our roof peak he sings his "distinctive, plaintive cooOOoo-woo-woo-woooo" (thanks Wikipedia!), I listen intently, and I invariably drift into a mental sort of paradise regained. This bird, that calls our home his home, is one of my favourites of all God's animals.

I can picture the Holy Trinity with just the perfect amount of creative juices flowing designing this unique bird. After putting the black spots on its wings, giving it contrasting black and white tail feathers, colouring it with a light grey-brown plumage, their finishing touch was the dove's song - what 'we' call a mournful cry. Here's the irony though: when God created there was no mourning, or crying, or such a thing as a sad song, there was only a new morning and God called it good. My heart says that Adam called it a 'morning' dove... to which we've added a single letter to change the meaning from bright and new to brooding and mournful.

It's a stretch, I know. Even maybe a little simplistic and naive. But I wonder how many of God's creations we've changed or modified ever so slightly and completely twisted God's perfect artwork into our own warped design. My brief encounter with our roof's living ornament, i.e. this 'morning' dove, a few days ago reminded me of the peacefulness and gentleness of our good Creator. Normally, skittish and quick to fly away, this bird allowed me to come within inches; almost inviting me into its space. It was a peaceful and gentle encounter that I can only describe as heavenly providence. God granted me peace that morning, in a season that has laid plenty of uncertainty in my family's life, and at that moment I felt the air lighter, the sun brighter, and the breeze gentler.

Kind of reminds me of the song "All things bright and beautiful"; especially the refrain and first verse:

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful:

The Lord God made them all.

Each little flow’r that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

He made their glowing colors,

He made their tiny wings.

Here's the best part though - when Jesus returns the 'u' in mourning will be dropped forever and our earthly mourning shall be turned into an eternal new morning... and it will be good once again. As for my friend, the dove that eventually flew away when I came too close, he'll return with an olive leaf in its beak and we'll know all has been renewed.