Kathy Baker: Mourning dove messages

Spring is here! Flowers are bursting into bloom, the sun shines bright and warm and — thanks to the rain we often deplore — the fresh grass is so green that it hurts your eyes. Mother Nature’s little acrobats scamper happily through the trees; animal babies are born; streams and rivers run freely, released from winter’s icy fingers. Robins dine robustly on juicy earthworms, while finches nibble delicately at bird feeders. All of creation is burgeoning with new life.

Meanwhile, however, mourning doves mourn, their voices sad and forlorn, even as other birds trill and coo merrily in the trees. The doves seem to mock the cheerier birds, gently asking, How can you sing so joyously in a world where tragedy surrounds us?