Visit From A White Dove

[KathyG]

I'm not quite sure what to make of this.

Yesterday, when I had just finished my work for the day, I had a powerful urge to go sit outside. So I got myself a cold drink and went out to my back patio.

It was a bright, sunny day with a clear blue sky. I started to unwind as a soft breeze nudged my wind chimes and I listened to the water splashing in my fountain. For awhile I spied on the two wrens and their babies who make their home in a saguaro cactus in my neighbor's yard. I closed my eyes. I was thinking about how much my Bill would have enjoyed the day.

Suddenly something made me look up. A beautiful white dove was looking down at me from his perch on a tall pine. The bird and I stared straight into each other's eyes for a long moment. Then he gracefully flew away.

I've seen many local birds around here, including mourning doves, but none of them look like this dove did. I think it might have been a sign from my husband. There's the obvious symbolism of the white dove, and I had just been thinking about Bill when the bird appeared. But Bill had a phobia about birds - so would he have used one to send me a message? I'm still wondering. All I know for sure is, after the encounter with the dove I felt peaceful and blessed.

[Dusky]

KathyG,

There is no doubt in my mind that the white dove was a message from Bill. It reminds me very much of the hummingbird "incident" that I encountered just 6 months after my Jack died. At the time I told everyone on here the story of the hummingbird and at the time shared a poem I wrote about it as well. That same story and poem are now in my book.

There moments of revelation are very calming - They do provide a very peaceful feeling. I am so glad you experienced this wonderful moment.

Peace,

John - Dusky is my handle on here

Love you Jack

[kayc]

Kathy,

I have heard of others tell similar stories and I too think it was his spirit giving you a message...why not choose a bird? In the old testament it tells how God often used the most "unlikely" for His purposes. So to me a bird seems a most natural way of getting your attention in light of his phobia.

What a special gift that was!

KayC

[leeann]

I have had a few white dove visits over the years that I associate with my Dad and also have felt that peaceful feeling afterward. My daughter also had one as she was just about to undergo a dental procedure she was a bit uneasy about. While sitting in the waiting room with a view through a small window to the one bush we could see, a white dove suddenly landed on a teensy branch of this bush. She immediately saw it and exclaimed "That's Grandpa telling me not to worry." So she too got some peace.

I agree with Dusky & Kay that I am very happy you had this wonderful experience and I look at them as gifts too.

leeann

[MartyT]

Kathy, dear ~

Lest you think that what you are experiencing is somehow abnormal, “crazy” or “wrong,” I’d like to share with you an excerpt from my book, Finding Your Way through Grief: A Guide for the First Year:

Mystical Experiences

Of all the various ways that grief can express itself, perhaps one of the most unsettling is to experience the presence of a lost loved one— days, weeks or months after the death has occurred. When one so dear to you is gone, it can be very hard to accept that the person is really dead. You may find yourself thinking and dreaming about your loved one much of the time, and it may seem that everything around you is a reminder of the person you have lost. Once in a while you may temporarily forget that your loved one is gone, and you’ll look and listen for him or her—and maybe even think that you’ve seen, heard, smelled or touched the person. Part of you believes your loved one is there, yet the other part of you knows that’s not the case. At some point you may think you’ve received a symbolic communication or message from the person who has died. Some people find this to be very frightening and disorienting, while others find it to be quite helpful and even comforting. In any case, it’s important to know that such experiences are very common and perfectly normal during times of loss. Sometimes as long as a year after the death of a loved one, people will report sensing (hearing, feeling, seeing) the person in the room. They believe the person is there, yet they also know their loved one is dead. They may feel very foolish or embarrassed— they may be very frightened— and they often wonder, "Am I going mad?"

No one knows why grief produces such powerful, mystical processes— but we do know that hallucinations, communications, dreams, visions and visitations are a frequent experience of the bereaved. They are by no means abnormal, and they do not forecast a complicated grief reaction. While some people find them distressing, it is generally believed that such mystical grief experiences have great power and personal significance for the griever, and may be an important if not vital part of healing.

Suggestions for Coping with Mystical Experiences

∙Make use of your dreams: record them, or share them with someone who will listen but not interpret them for you. Keep in mind that no one is a better expert at interpreting your dreams than you are.

∙Don’t judge yourself or others who have mystical experiences, and don’t think there’s something wrong with you if you’ve never had them. Grief responses differ from one person to another, and it is normal to experience a wide range of emotions during the grieving process.

∙Don’t worry whether such experiences are real or simply a figment of your imagination. If they bring you comfort, does it really matter? And if such an experience is unpleasant or frightening for you, make certain that you talk to someone who will support you.

[source: Finding Your Way through Grief: A Guide for the First Year, © 2000 by Marty Tousley, Hospice of the Valley, Phoenix AZ, pp. 22-23.]

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, noted thanatologist and author of the seminal work On Death and Dying, described such mystical experiences as “hauntings.” In her work, On Grief and Grieving, the last book she wrote before her death in 2004, Dr. Kübler-Ross and co-author David Kessler write:

It is important to remember that hauntings after the death of a loved one are normal and common. They often bring important messages from the psyche that arise from our inner world of grief. They may even bring fear with them, but they usually are not dangerous. Among the myriad of feelings connected with grief, hauntings contain valuable clues, threads to be followed to their source. They represent unfinished business in some cases and offer great comfort in others . . . Whether or not hauntings are physical realities is irrelevant to the grief process. Anything that comforts or guides you in your grief work is naturally valuable. To spend time questioning the experience is to miss the point ~ and perhaps the gift.

[source: On Grief and Grieving, pp. 57-58]

If you haven't seen it already, you might be interested in the message I posted a week ago, in General Grief & Loss Topics, under the heading, After-Death Communication: ]http://hovforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=2580&view=findpost&p=23590

[Mshomer]

My boyfriend and love of my life was killed in an automobile accident 30 years ago. I never tried to remember that date because it was too painful. Recently I looked up the old article and put the date in my calendar.   On the day that I had marked, I was telling my son about him and just remembering. Later that day I was in my car heading to town to get something to eat and I looked up and a beautiful Snow White dove was flying across the road. It was up high flying from my right to my left. It was shocking to see.  It was beautiful and definitely out of the ordinary. I knew it was something odd but didn’t figure out what it was till I started researching it and then I remembered my old boyfriend. I still miss him. 

[TomPB]

Birds are one way we communicate across the divide. My first sailing after I lost Susan a beautiful falcon landed on the spreaders as we were motoring to pick up the mooring and was in no hurry to leave. Looked like it was watching over us. Never happened before or since in 30 yrs sailing. This year on the 2 yr anniversary 3/31/17 a Mourning Dove, Susan's favorite, landed in one of our window boxes and started nesting. Cindi the psychic told me the Dove was not Susan but she could influence her as to where she would sit her eggs. I believe.

[kayc]

@Mshomer  Interesting reading this old thread from so long ago...I'm glad you got that sign and hope you found comfort in it.

[TonyDane]

I have had several visits from White Doves in my life, but none quite as moving one beautiful afternoon day in Southern California at Karen Carpenter’s resting place!

After watching a song video of hers and Richard’s while sitting on her step in front of her grave, two white doves came out of a tree and flew directly over me and Karen and then just disappeared!

[kayc]

Funny, just yesterday when you posted this, our pastor mentioned visits from doves in his sermon.  Symbols of peace.