How I Met Your Mother 6

All of us long for a loving mother. Many of you may feel like abandoned children, having grown up with mothers who did not cater to your needs properly. Therefore, you may be continually searching for nurturing from others. Some of you may even be mothers yourself, and are struggling with your duties as parents. Outside forces may easily distract you for caring for your children. However, when you look at the dove, you can gain insight into how to be a successful mother.

I have always loved birds, especially doves. I have a large tree in my backyard and oftentimes, there will be over a dozen doves sitting in that tree at one time. Although they have been known to perch on the window ledge and make nests in the bushes on the east side of my house directly outside my bedroom, I love to wake up in the morning to the sound of their cooing.

A few years ago, I noticed a mother dove had planted herself on top of the far corner post of my fence. As I went to investigate, I realized she had a nest on top of that post. She did not move for weeks. Finally, a little baby dove emerged and I watched curiously as that little one learned to fly. It took several days before it could fly successfully. The little bird took small steps to learn to fly, first mastering the bottom rung of my fence, then the top rung, and finally taking off across the yard; without the constant care of the mother dove, this tiny bird would not have been able to accomplish this feat.

Within the last week, another dove has settled into a new nest in my yard. The bird, quite industrious, made a nest in an abandoned hanging flower basket. Located right outside my back door on the patio, the basket hangs from a curved, inverted wrought iron hook attached to the east patio wall. Therefore, the hanging basket and makeshift bird's nest protrudes approximately one foot from the wall and is situated about five feet in the air, safely tucked away from other intruders, such as cats or squirrels.