MARA’S BIRTHDAY DOVE … March 2008

For Those Who Believe And Those Like Me Who Would Like To Believe

While I will soon put up reports on the number of things people did on Mara’s Birthday, I wanted to share with all of you a very spiritual experience. You may believe, or like me want to believe, or even disbelieve its spiritual nature, but I believe it is a lovely story none-the-less.

On Mara’s birthday, I gave a breakfast party for Mara's close friends and family in Washington. The party was wonderful. There were about 26 people. I hesitate to tell all of you this because I don't want you to think that an areligious/aspiritual person like me has gone stark raving crazy, but something very strange and beautiful happened.

A little more than a week before Mara’s birthday two doves, a male and a female, started exploring the hanging basket on our little back door porch (approximately 3 ½ by 5 feet) and building a nest. When we came out they flew away and watched us from afar. A few days later Gil looked out and saw what he claims was the two doves making love...I don't know what they were doing and if it is related to the next step, but shortly after that the one we have determined was the female started sitting in the nest. When we come out on the back porch to take out trash, recycling, or to go to the car, she just looks at us, unperturbed, as she is in the picture. We got to talking to her and calling her Mama Dove assuming that she was sitting on eggs.

She had been sitting there unblinkingly calm for almost a week on the day of Mara’s Birthday.

On Mara's birthday, we opened the back door and everyone at the party met and talked to the Dove. Mara’s friend, Aimee Breslow, nearly went out of her mind with excitement when we introduced her to the dove. Aimee has a Native American friend who told her once …when a dove was living close to Aimee's house… that the dove was a spirit animal and signifies protection, love and good luck. Aimee was so excited by our dove that she called her Native American friend who further said that doves have different meanings depending on where they are, what is happening and what they are doing. She felt that it was very significant that our Dove was sitting on a nest hatching eggs so near humans, that she was so unafraid of us humans, and that it was Mara's birthday.

Stranger still was what happened next. About a week or so later the eggs hatched and there were two “dovelets” in the nest. Two days ago Gil and I noticed that Mama Dove and the babies were gone. There were no dead little birds on the ground so we assumed that they had flown away successfully, even thought it seemed they were very young to have done that. I waited all day for them to come back, but they didn't. I climbed on a stool to see if the babies were hidden in the nest. They were definitely not there, BUT there was a single egg still in the nest. It had been there all alone for at least a day, and the weather had again turned cold, so I knew that Mama Dove had given up on it and that the egg would never hatch. I am amazed but I started to cry both because the Dove had left and the egg was alone. I felt as if I had lost Mara again.

Sunday morning I got up early --couldn't sleep anymore-- and sat down at the computer in my second story library on the side of the house away from the back porch. As I was working, about 7:30 am, all of the sudden the Mama and Papa Dove appeared at my window. The stayed there looking at me for the longest time. The window was shut, but I spoke to them as I did to the Mama Dove when she sat on the nest, and asked them how the babies were. Of course they didn't answer, but just looked at me and the turned and flew away together. I felt sure that they were saying good-bye to me, maybe until Mara's birthday next year!? Later that day when they still hadn't come back I went and took the abandoned egg and I am going to take it to Mara's grave.

Many people at Mara’s birthday party were convinced that the Dove was Mara's spirit or sent by Mara to be with us on her birthday. I know it is crazy, but I felt it was somehow true. It is so unusual for any bird to let people be around it at anytime time, much less when they are hatching eggs. I have decided that I am probably so in need of Mara that I have taken leave of my senses, BUT it feels so good.

I have felt for the last little while the strength of Mara spirit being alive and being with me and with all of us.

Just before Mara’s birthday party I visited Mara's grave and planted tulips, but didn't feel Mara's presence there; I feel her presence much more at home and when I am with her friends. I do feel that everyone thinking about Mara, writing me about Mara and doing things in her honor has kept her spirit alive and active and maybe the Dove was reaffirming this!