All pigeons have a little bit of "miracle" in them.
Whether they saved human lives in both World Wars
and were highly decorated,
or whether they go about their day to day lives doing no harm
but being despised nonetheless,
they each hold a small miracle in them that keeps them going
despite the odds, despite the malice,
and in return give only loyalty and love.

Noodle's miracles began when she was but an egg.
Born of a mother who suffered a life threatening injury,
but that gave a mother's last breaths to bring her into this world.
How does one ignore something so poignant in life?
How does one discard such an incredible effort of love?
So Noodle began her life as a rescued egg.

From that moment on, the decision made... Noodle was loved.
Her two dove foster mothers accepted her immediately as the miracle
of a huge egg neither of them could hope to lay,
but would surely do everything in their powers to raise to fruition.
And somehow they did.  And from the singular moment in time of
watching her release herself from that egg and into the world,
I truly knew that a light of awe had touched my own heart.

She was simply adored, fed and raised by each member of her family.
She enveloped that love around her
and became what she was meant to be...
unfearing, precocious, confident, with a spirit of gentleness.

She grew quicly into a gawky youngster who learned to fly by dancing... flapping her wings while she propelled herself
forward and back on tiptoes across a prone human
conveniently laying on the couch for her to practice on.
And as she did so, her head tilted to and fro in coyness.
Every day thereafter, even though she had long since mastered flight,
she did her "pantaloon dance"as a greeting to the day.

She grew into a beautiful adult.
So beautiful in her subtle patterns of cobalts, greys and charcoals that it became a daily mantra for me to memorize how each feather pattern fit into that graceful puzzle as she stood on my shoulder preening.

One day, in her fifth year, her brilliance started to fade
and she was given a chance that would either end her life or keep her with us for as long as fate would allow her to remain.
And another miracle began.  Noodle recuperated from surgery
and went on to live a full, happy, carefree life for almost one year more.  And in that time she was loved like never before.
No moment went by that the glint in her eye was not noticed.
No night went by where she was not held and told that she would be loved for however long she could stay.

In the end, as the light faded from her eyes,
as the brilliance of her soul left her,
we lost a part of ourselves and gave it to her to hold,
as a reminder of how much of a miracle
she was in our lives every single day...
and how very, very much we will miss her company.
She was family from beginning to end...
so much more, and nothing less.

I hope wherever Noodle finds herself now,
there is plenty of room to dance.