As I lifted Pure from her nest to clean the doves' cage, I saw beneath her soft white feathers the pink skin of a brand new little baby!
Still shy from the recent hatching, his little head was tucked inside his eggshell, and his precious eyes were squeezed shut, probably not preferring the bright light I shined on him!
What an unexpected presence this little life is! I found myself just as excited for his life as if he was planned. God surely wanted him to be, and so here he is! With my busy schedule lately, I had neglected to remove the eggs from the cage. Whoops! So this little one was definitely meant to be. God's will triumphed over my own! And it always should!
Pure usually lays a pair of eggs per month, but because I do not wish to turn my home into a hen house, I usually remove the eggs shortly after she lays them. I struggled greatly with the ethics of this in the beginning. Since I am very pro-life and against all forms of contraception, I questioned the morality of such a practice. In the end, after consulting with many faithful friends and also a priest, we determined that there was no ethical harm being done to the birds or to myself in practicing this method of limiting the population.
A few months ago, I gave Pure a cute little comfy cotton nest in which to reside, and I've noticed that she has an easier time laying her eggs in it. Even her husband, Innocent, loves sitting in it, when it's his turn to keep the eggs warm.
Congratulations, Pure and Innocent, on the hatch of your fourth child! Perhaps that other egg in the nest will hatch later today. :)
