Lost a beloved relation to breast cancer. I was very young, as were my siblings, and we didn't quite understand what death was. But we knew we were never going to see her again, and were devastated. I remember when my mom gathered the courage to tell us, and I remember being confused and mad and sad. I knew she was sick, and had gone to some doctor appointments with her, but I figured she just had a run of the mill problem. She was always joking with the doctors and staff, and usually gave me candy to have while I waited for her to come out. Christ, I remember it clear as day, years later. That's how powerful a personality she was.

At any rate, this relation was particularly fond of doves. At the level that she used to wear dove motif'd jewelry and clothes and stuff.

Two decades after she passed, I was sitting with my family outside our house, and we were reminiscing about her and how much we loved her and missed her humor and warm presence. An at the very same moment the tears started flowing anew, a dove landed beside us and a just sat there, looking at us for a few moments before flying off.

Obviously I know that it was probably just some dove that happened to land near us because we were outside, and it wasn't some message from or manifestation of our dead relative. But man, remembering what it felt like when that dove landed when it did still makes me tear up a bit, even now.

Wherever you are, we love you AM.