Share this page"On The Wings of a Dove"
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 19 October 2011 14:35
- Written by Stanton O. Berg
"ON THE WINGS OF A DOVE"
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(Dedicated to June K. Berg)
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"On The Wings of a Dove"
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"On the wings of a snow white dove
He sends His pure sweet love
A sign from above
On the wings of a dove
When troubles surround us,
when evils come
The body grows weak,
The spirit grows numb
When these things beset us,
He doesn't forget us
He sends down His love
On the wings of a dove
On the wings of a snow-white dove
He sends His pure sweet love
A sign from above
On the wings of a dove”
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(Lyrics Written by Bob Ferguson Ca. 1948)
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“And, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:”...Matthew 3:16 (KJV)
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June's Funeral
During June's funeral service (October 27th 2008) our daughter Julie said that as the song “Take My Hand Precious Lord" was ending, (played by violin and a vocalist) and out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a bird fly across in front of the alter...
Her first reaction was to wonder what was a bird doing in the church sanctuary. If Julie really did see a bird, then I am sure it was June's Spirit or a sign from God that June was with him… Although no one else reported seeing a bird does not mean Julie did not see one...We do not all perceive the same.. We are not all endowed with or have the same powers of observation or perception.
I recall that Julie mentioned the event to me immediately after the funeral service...Later when she was again asked about it, she reaffirmed the event.
She reported what she saw was a movement from her right to her left. (She was sitting with the family in the front row on the left side of the church.) She recalled looking around to see if anyone else had noted it. After the service she even asked one of her friends Pam Stenstrom, who also served as a pall bearer, if she had seen anything unusual. She described the movement as a short period of time, similar to what one sees in the reflection and movement of a car headlight on a dark bedroom ceiling at night. Julie obviously saw something! (Stan Berg)
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Cathy and the Sparrow
This beautiful story comes from Sheila Joy Hutcherson of Lauderdale, Mississippi. Sheila tells of her dear friend Cathy, a lady in her fifties but with a mental handicap from birth leaving her with the mental age of 8. Cathy died near Christmas time from Pancreatic Cancer.
Sheila described Cathy as one who “loved just about every living thing that I kept on my small Mississippi farm”….”she was just crazy about birds, all kinds of birds”…”She’d tiptoe up to a robin perched on a fence post just to get a better look, her face aglow with childlike awe at one of God’s simple wonders.”…”what she lacked intellectually she made up for spiritually. She loved the world so much because she loved her maker so fully”. Sheila tells how Cathy would “lay her head against a spot on the left side of my chest, right over my heart, and rest it there ever so gently, lust long enough for me to feel a peacefulness flow into me”.
After Cathy’s death, Sheila felt the need for a sign that Cathy was at peace and was in heaven with the “Lord”. On a bitter cold January morning as she was preparing to go into town to run errands, Sheila got her sign.
As Sheila was leaving her home through her glassed in front porch, she was startled to see a small sparrow sitting on the floor of the porch. Sheila did not know how it got there as the porch doors were tightly closed to keep out the winter winds. She bent down and held out her hand…”The bird hopped into my palm, a soft little bundle of warmth, not trembling, not hurt, not sick”…she took it out and showed her Mom who was waiting for her in a small truck…her Mom held out her hand and it hopped onto her Mom’s hand…when Sheila took it back and lofted it into the air, instead of flying away it came down and landed on the left side of her chest, next to her heart. Sheila finishes the story…”The sparrow stayed there for just a moment, but it was long enough for me to feel that familiar infusion of peace…With that, the sparrow took flight, hovering for one final instant before disappearing among the trees.”
(Published in Guideposts Magazine, January 2013. This great magazine was first co-founded by Norman Vincent Peale many years ago…June subscribed to Guideposts in the days before Alzheimer’s took over her life…It still arrives in my mail box addressed to June. I look forward to its arrival each and every month and quickly check out some of my favorite features.)
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Monica A. Andermann and a White Dove
Monica A, Andermann of Long Island, New York tells s story of her Mother and her Grandmother Oma and a white dove that brought them the message of Grandma Oma's death…the family was concerned about Grandma Oma and her health in that they knew she did not have long to live…Grandmother Oma, who was elderly and in poor health had taken a turn for the worse, She lived some distance away (24 hour trip) and they were debating the timing of a trip to her bedside in the far away hospital.
Her story “On the Wings of a Dove” was published in “Angels Among Us” (2013).
The story tells of Monica being awakened by her mother in the early morning hours with a request that she follow her to her bedroom…at the bedroom window the mother pointed to a dove sitting on a hedge just outside her window…
”And there it sat, a beautiful, plump, pure white dove like none I had ever seen before. The sight of it was truly awe-inspiring ”…”This dove has been sitting here and crying since sunrise. Did you hear it? Mom asked.”…”Mom and I gazed at the dove. He sat peacefully for a long while watching us back with his dark, round eyes. Then quietly, calmly he lifted from the hedge and flew away.”
The mother was sure that the dove was a messenger with a message that the grandmother had passed on…”That dove came to tell me that Oma is gone.” Monica did not believe so and stated:…”that kind of stuff doesn’t really happen.”...however a short time later after they had their morning tea the phone rang…
“I stood frozen as I overheard the news, Oma had passed away that morning peacefully.”
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Gloria Pavlik and a Red Cardinal
Gloria Pavlik of Walton, New York, had just lost her daughter April, who had just passed away 7 months earlier at age 35…Ms. Pavlik reported her story as follows:
“…each day without my daughter April was harder than the last…I could hardly keep myself together…I went into the kitchen to make...breakfast when a fluttering sound stopped me in my tracks. A red cardinal perched on the chandelier! Where did he come from? He flew to the top of the refrigerator and settled on a cereal box. We regarded each other calmly, until I slowly backed out of the kitchen and shut the door. I secured our dogs and cats and went back to free the bird, but he was gone, as mysteriously as he had arrived.”
This lady now collects cardinal enhanced articles such as “wind chimes , ceramics, sweaters and a creamer…
”cardinals are always near, each one a reminder that angels are too. And that keeps me strong.” ...July 2015
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Friend’s Experiences
Lois Duncan - Sarasota, Florida - (17 October 2011): Lois is a Writer and the author of “Who Killed My Daughter?"
"Soon after our daughter, Kait's, murder, (1989) I woke in the night to see a white Dove hovering several feet over the bed.
The room was dark, but I could see the bird perfectly.
Then it flew up into the corner of the room and disappeared.
I was wide awake. Not dreaming.
I thought I was the only one this had happened to."
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Reverend Erma J. Yates - Savage, Minnesota - (January 2010):"It is very interesting about the bird your daughter saw flying across the alter. I believe her 100%.
My brother died one year ago tomorrow of cancer. We were very close although he was the baby boy. I went to Ohio, two days before he passed, he called my name and woke me from sleep. It was all very painful. I returned home after a week. Each evening and morning I'd cry for him. I could not believe he was gone. ...
I was laying in bed crying for him. A bird came to my bedroom window and starting singing.. more a call than singing... loud and clear, almost urgently.. Immediately I begin to smile. It was Ronnie, my brother! I jumped out of bed, trying to see the bird... then I ran through to the patio and there this big bird sat, calling and looking me in the eye. "Oh, Ronnie, thank you" I replied. "I won't cry anymore." The bird came each morning, waking me up with his call...I don't know what kind of bird it was; I showed him to Jarrelle. (Grandson) We looked for him on the internet, couldn't find one like it...This went on for about a week and then the bird stopped coming.
I have No doubt that it was my brother...If we trust God to show us, He will show us wondrous things in the most simple ways. We must allow our soul to be open and available, like a child, to hear beyond hearing and to see with more than eyes."
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Connie L. Malm Anderson - Osseo, Minnesota – (28 November 2012): “Mom passed at 2:20 PM on Sunday 6 Nov 2011. (All Saints Sunday) 
When I got to the hospice center that day about 11:00 the room was so dark that I pulled open the shade on the window next to her bed. She immediately turned her head and looked out and continued to look out until she passed. My brother was standing on that side of the bed and was blocking her view. With her head and eyes moving ,trying to see around him...I could see she was telling me he was blocking her view...I asked my brother to move out of her way...then she was happy.
I know she could see something and I believe it was my dad and sister letting her know they were waiting for her. My Pastor came and gave her blessings and ten minutes after that, mom passed.
I called my daughter as she was In Alexandria deer hunting. She was crying and said she knew it. At the moment my mother died, my daughter saw the clouds break and an Eagle sored through them. And she was 150 miles away…Because of the clouds breaking and the Eagle soaring between them I know this was not a coincidence. Those moments will live in my memory forever."
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KATHLEEN DEAN
Kathleen Dean - Fredericktown, Ohio – (28 November 2012):”My husband Don passed away on 30 August 2011. Don was in the later stages of Alzheimer's Disease and his third bout with cancer. We were able to keep him home and called on Hospice care. Don and I found out (the day after our 47th wedding anniversary on July 18th) that he had about six month to live.
On our way home from the doctor, Don asked me, "Did he say six months?" I replied, "Yes." Then Don asked, "How long is six months?" I told him..."We will spend Christmas together." Don smiled and said, "Okay." We were a 1/2 mile from home. By the time we arrived home Don had forgotten that he had even been to the doctor. He had no idea that we had been married.
My husband Don and I always liked to feed the Hummingbirds. About a week after Don passed away I was sitting on the back porch in my swing/chair very quietly; tears were flowing because I missed Don so very much.
A Hummingbird came right up to my face and hovered in front of my face.... looking into my eyes for a very long time. It was so close to my face that I could look into its eyes too. Then it flew away. I felt so at peace...I feel like it was Don's spirit that came to see me.”
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LORI NELSON POLLITT
Lori Nelson Pollitt - Dallas, Texas - (18 January 2013): "Years ago I came across a young man almost as I believe, a divine appointment.
I felt the urging of the Holy Spirit and briefly witnessed to him. I felt in my spirit that he received what I had to say.
He was practicing stunts or tricks on his bicycle in a parking lot as I was going by. Previously, my two boys had expressed interest learning how to do the same thing, so I stopped and asked him about it. He told me that he competed in the sport and that he had been doing it for many years.
It seemed like he really appreciated my interest and I also sensed a little bit of sadness in him. I don’t know what his home life situation was, but it made me wonder if it wasn’t so good.
I truly sensed the Lord wanted me to let the young man know how much He loved him and what Christ did for him…
As I left, I walked a short distance down on the sidewalk then suddenly a beautiful white dove flew out in front of me.
It was remarkable and took my breath away! I had never seen a white dove in the wild.
I felt like it was confirmation from the Lord that this young man did take the message to heart and I praised God for it."
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BUDDY BEAR (MAURA)
Buddy Bear (Maura) - Dublin, Ireland - (24 September 2013): " When my father died I slept in his bedroom because I wanted to feel close to him. I closed the bedroom window before going to bed and the next morning when I opened the curtains there was a bird behind the curtains. It was a strange looking bird one that I did not recognise and it wasn't a small bird .
That night when I was going to bed I checked behind the curtain to check there was no bird there and the next morning when I pulled back the curtain the bird was there again. There was no open window and it was beyond belief how the bird got in. It was only later that I thought this was some sort of a sign from my father.
The bird was there on two consecutive mornings. I have no idea what kind of bird it was I just remember it was a dark grey colour I think. That was eleven years ago. It was quite big and the first morning I discovered it I became quite hysterical trying to pull up the venetian blinds to get it out the window. I felt sad later when I began to believe this was a sign."
The color of the bird was the same color as a thrush but this bird was definitely not a thrush. I do not know what kind of bird it was.
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Buddy Bear (Maura) - Dublin, Ireland - (24 September 2013): " When my father died I slept in his bedroom because I wanted to feel close to him. I closed the bedroom window before going to bed and the next morning when I opened the curtains there was a bird behind the curtains. It was a strange looking bird one that I did not recognise and it wasn't a small bird .
That night when I was going to bed I checked behind the curtain to check there was no bird there and the next morning when I pulled back the curtain the bird was there again. There was no open window and it was beyond belief how the bird got in. It was only later that I thought this was some sort of a sign from my father.
The bird was there on two consecutive mornings. I have no idea what kind of bird it was I just remember it was a dark grey colour I think. That was eleven years ago. It was quite big and the first morning I discovered it I became quite hysterical trying to pull up the venetian blinds to get it out the window. I felt sad later when I began to believe this was a sign."
The colour of the bird was the same colour as a thrush but this bird was definitely not a thrush. I do not know what kind of bird it was.
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CONNIE LOWERS O'BRIEN
Connie Lowers O’Brien - Decatur, Tennessee - (29 December 2014) – Connie has this interesting story of the death of her Mom Ann Carole on May 6th, 2011 in Dalton, GA…and her Dad Fredrick H. Lowers who had died years earlier on 28 February 1974 in Dover, Delaware as a victim of kidney cancer…and the unusual appearance of a hummingbird and a butterfly that Connie feels were heavenly sent messengers from her Mom and Dad…
“I was my mothers caregiver during her time with Alzheimer's…when she passed away I walked outside on my deck after watching that hearse carry her away…
I was left so empty inside until I had a confirmation from a hummingbird that followed me around …this pretty bird insisted on its presence…and then just right before the bird flew away, an unusually looking orange colored butterfly landed on my shoulder and in the palm of my hands and for at least a half an hour…
When this happened I knew it was a sign from both mom and Dad… I felt the burden of my grief lifted I was no longer crying…I still to this day have not identified this butterfly….The hummingbird I believe was a message from heaven…I do believe it's related to my father and his death…I say this because dad and I shared a special bond, a fondness of birds…and the butterfly I feel was from Mom.”
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Melissa Vaughan - Newburgh, Indiana - (29 December 2014): “A few days ago a dear facebook friend lost her father to Alzheimer’s, I have never met Cia, but she had painted a beautiful picture of my mother and all the proceeds of its sale went to Alzheimer’s...
When her father died last week I told her that my mother always said that a cardinal was a sign from a loved one that had passed, a Cardinal would show up when you needed them...so to be on the lookout for a sign from her dad...
She said she read my story…and her and her husband went and made funeral arrangements, when they got home and pulled into their driveway, as red as could be was a Cardinal sitting on a limb on the tree in their front yard...
She said, neither her or her husband had seen one all winter....and it was so red and it stood out so clear...
She said, she thought of me, and my mom....and now believes....her dad is alright, he is home, and at peace.”
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The Holy Trinity Window at the Holy Spirit Chapel of the Benedictine Health Care Center of Innsbruck. (10.2' by 4.3') The center 1/3rd section of the window with the white dove is the “Holy Spirit” window and it is dedicated to “In Honor and Memory of my wife June K. Berg and my mother Ellen F. Silbaugh, both victims of Alzheimer’s." It is also in memory of the millions of World Wide Victims of Alzheimer’s with the prayer that God will grant them all Peace….Stan Berg and the Berg Family”
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Reader's Comments
Deanya Christy - Casper, Wyoming - (16 October 2011): "I love that song Stan, it is one my Mom used to sing arund the house. I believe your daughter saw a bird. I see or hear things and I know it is my brother. In our caregiver's support group we have a gentleman caretaking for his wife...her name is June. This man is kind and a gentle soul. It breaks my heart at times when he is brought to tears...Love it when he is able to chuckle...he is suffering so..."
Lora Rushing Robinson - Benton, Louisiana - (15 January 2013): "As usual, thank you for touching...my heart...my friend."
Jane Champagne Granger-Spencer - London, United Kingdom - (16 January 2013): "I'm certain the Dove was there but just especially for your daughter to see...The Lord works in mysterious ways ..."
Pat Middleton - West Palm Beach, Florida - (16 January 2013): "I fell into keeping my niece's little boy, five days a week, twelve hours a day. From four months to ten years old. My parents lived just down the street and I saw them everyday and little Brandon would be with me. Brandon spent a lot of time following my father around, imitating Dad and such. When Brandon was six years old my father passed away. At the church, during a prayer, I heard his little voice cry out, Mom, look there's Papa standing with the angels. He insisted my Dad was up front behind the pastor standing with angels. Brandon is fifteen years old now and he hasn't backed down or changed that story. My mother said right before the prayer she felt a sense of calm come over here that said to her she would make it because Dad would always be beside her. I wonder if that is when he arrived."
Lori Nelson Pollitt - Dallas, Texas - (18 January 2013):"Thanks for sharing your experience with June's funeral and the doves. Blessings to you."
Donald Hiatt - Clovis, California - (14 September 2013): "Thank you for posting these stories. They are heart warming and inspiring...Don."
Beth Ann Doucette - Lino Lakes, Minnesota - (14 September 2013): "Very nice,...Thanks for sharing."
Martina Kaut - Furtwangen, Germany - (14 September 2013):"I read them all with great... joy...That moment yesterday, when I read...your posting, I sat beside my dying sister in law, sang her her favorite songs, read her wonderful stories and poems (also *On the wings of a dove*) held her hand and assured her that she has not to worry about nothing, and that God is in control ... "
Lee Ann Vanness - Luxemburg, Wisconsin - (14 September 2013): "I read everyone of them and I cried. My father was in the hospital cause he was very sick and my husband and I went to see him. When the nurses can in to ask him what he wanted to eat he said nothing and he was looking out the window. He told all of us where i'm going I don't need to eat.".
Sue Strayer-Orcutt - Maple Grove, Minnesota - (22 June 2015):"After I lost my 52 year old brother in California last October and then my dad three weeks later also in California my neighbor told me about the Cardinals. I know it is true as we had many in our yard shortly after."
Bill Fisher - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - (22 June 2015): "I put a bird feeder out the window for my mom. It gave her such pleasure to watch the small birds. When she passed away in May I was blessed by a beautiful red Cardinal sitting on top of the feeder looking in the window for hours. It was never there for all the months she suffered from dementia so I truly believe it was sent as a comfort for me to know she was still near and at peace."
Susan Day - Dayton, Ohio - (22 June 2015): "The cardinal is the mascot of the high school I graduated from in Minnesota (I now live in Ohio). Every time I see a cardinal (which I do fairly frequently) in my backyard I think of my hometown and the wonderful people who helped shape my formative years, and also of both of my parents who are now gone. The other day I watched a cardinal fly straight toward my kitchen window, and stop in a low branch of the maple tree right outside that window. I had the strongest feeling that it was my dad coming to greet me."
Jackie Irving - Liverpool, United Kingdom - (23 June 2015): "Beautiful story Stan thank you...I don't think I've ever seen one of these beautiful birds before."
Louise Ann Howard - Batemans Bay, New South Wales, Australia - (23 June 2013): "Very lovely to read Stanton. Thanks mate."
Janet Ashenden - Derby, United Kingdom - (23 June 2015): "Another lovely story. Thank you Stanton."
Dianne Cogar - Springfield, Ohio - (23 June 2015): "I'm frequently taking pictures of cardinals here in my yard. During her illness, my mother told me she will return to visit in the image of a red cardinal. On the day she passed away, a cardinal repeatedly hit my kitchen window as if it were trying to get my attention. To this day, I frequently see these beautiful birds as if they are watching over me through my moms eyes."
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June's Passing
June's funeral notice as published in the Minneapolis Star in October 2008 can be seen on this website under the "In Memoriam" label - Click on:
"June K. (Rolstad) Berg - In Memoriam"