The Dove That I Loved

I decided to write Amy's One-Eyed Dove because I actually had a white or scared dove years ago. He was a delightful fellow who was hand-raised by us after an incident in the aviary where a pair of budgies decided to peck at him when he was young in his nest. That left a wound in his head and altered his eye so he could not see out of it.

We removed him from the aviary since it was no longer safe for him. He grew quickly and became quite attached to us. We even took him with us when we went to meetings out of town for the Red Cross and he became very popular with everyone. His beautiful coo sound and the laugh he made when he landed were a joy to hear.

Many times he laughed at the oddest times. One of them was when he was with us at a meeting and when the President started to say his speech, our dove broke out in laughter. So did everyone at the meeting. Then he would quiet down and no sounds again till the President said something once more. It was priceless.

He was with us for many years and in spite of the fact he could not see well through only one eye, he navigated our home quite well. The fact that he laughed when he landed made us think he found it funny that he was able to land at all. He had to use one wing to steady himself and I think he found that very funny.

So when I decided to write an e-book for kids, I thought of him and that is when Amy's One-Eyed Dove took form in my mind. Birds are so special and they can teach us a lot. I felt this was the perfect character to help Amy because this little dove had to overcome so much just to grow up and then to fly like other birds. Animals do not complain, they just get on with their lives. Now that is an example to follow!