Tag Archives: Love

The Mourning Dove

. Jesus Christ Follower, writing . , , , , ,

The Mourning Dove

I’ve been looking for something to “nudge” me into my next Haven’s Ideals post. There have been multiple negative events (family life as well as career path) and positive events (retuning to worship as the pandemic wares down as well as a phenomenal and blessed trip to Daytona Beach, Florida and Disney World)for multiple blog entries to flourish, but apathy and laziness got the best of me. I was needing something quick and spiritually uplifting for a catalyst. I had no idea it would take a MOURNING DOVE to prompt me to write.

It was awesome. This summer, the Topgolf driving range which also has a Putt Putt course has FREE PUTT PUTT on Mondays. So, after a set of summer showers and threatening thundershowers, the Caylor-Browns headed to Topgolf in East Ridge Tennessee for a round of Putt Putt. About the 9th hole I saw some ground movement out of the corner of my eye from the courses wooden fence. I looked down to see a mourning dove strutting / meandering under the fence. I smiled and kept on putting. As we were putting close to the driving range, I kept hearing the soothing call of a mourning dove. I glanced to my right, and there sat that dove. It would not budge. To the aggravation of Sean, Ammon, and Carter, I kept talking and paying attention to the dove. So I could get on with the round and paying attention to the scoring that I was keeping, I quickly got my iPhone and videoed the dove. Yes, the sound a mourning dove makes is lonesome and mournful, but like the white dove that is a symbol of peace, the mourning dove is a symbol of peace, love, and faith.

Happy or sad, elated with prayers of praise or melancholy with deep thoughts and questioning prayers, I hope and pray God will send you something from nature such as a song bird or a soothing sunrise/sunset, or a comforting breeze that touches your spirit to God’s Spirit. That sweet, tranquil, and friendly mourning dove that you can barely see yet hear quite clearly in my video has given me a spiritual strength I haven’t had in weeks or perhaps months to continue boldly into the future leaning on Jesus’ ever lasting arms.

    The Mourning Dove

    The Mourning Dove

    “Give me the Roses”

    . friends, Uncategorized . , , , , , ,

    Give me the Roses

    One of my heroic parent figures, Claudelle Kubin, had her leg amputated the second week of August 2018. Her eldest daughter, my childhood friend, and now Facebook friend, Michelle Kubin Robins, is my dear friend. Mrs. Kubin’s husband died while Michelle and I were in the 8thgrade. It was a shock and a tragedy. Mrs. Kubin single-handedly raised Michelle and Michelle’s 3 siblings. All four turned out to be responsible, awesome adults.

    As most of you all know, I live in Chattanooga, but I work in Dalton. After the amputation surgery, Mrs. Kubin was undergoing rehabilitation in Dalton . Michelle lives in Houston, Texas. I let Michelle know that if her Dalton siblings needed me to do something in Dalton for Mrs. Kubin to please let me know. Michelle said, “Thanks, Haven”

    For several days, I kept telling myself, “After school, I’ve GOT to go see Mrs. Kubin.” … get up in the AM, drive to school, go home…. Exercise with my family, grade papers, get ready for bed, get to bed, get up and do it all again….. no visiting Mrs. Kubin. She passed on August 22, 2018, and I had not visited that sweet, precious lady. I was very upset with myself. I probably rarely came into Mrs. Kubin’s mind, but she was in MY MIND. I loved her and appreciated her, but I didn’t tell her. She wasn’t blood -family, but she was my sister in Christ and a wonderful parent figure to me.

    I prayed and prayed for my heart -hurt to be healed, and God and the Spirit opened my heart to one of my favorite, gospel Blue-grass songs that I know: Give me the Roses while I live

    Give Me The Roses While I Live

    Wonderful things of folks are said
    When they have passed away
    Roses adorn the narrow bed
    Over the sleeping clay

       Give me the roses while I live
       Trying to cheer me on
       Useless are flowers that you give
       After the soul is gone

    Kind words are useless when folks lie
    Cold in a narrow bed
    Don’t wait till death to speak kind words
    Now should the words be said

    Let us not wait to do good deeds
    Till they have passed away
    Now is the time to sow good seeds
    While here on earth we stay

    I knew I could not give Mrs. Kubin her flowers while she lived, but  1) I could send Michelle a memory garden in her mother’s honor and 2) I could find and share with my other childhood parent figures how I felt about them. I had Michelle and her family a memory garden delivered to their home in Houston, and Michelle sent me a beautiful thank you message via Facebook. Now….

    I’m sharing what I did not to “toot my own horn” but to encourage you all to “give them [whomever you love & appreciate] their roses” . 

    I knew I had to send flowers to Mike and Sandra Lyle and Ellen Durham. These people helped raise me. Mike and Sandra’s daughter are the parents of my dear friend, Kim Lyle Schelegel, and Ellen is the mother of my faithful and awesome friend, Scot Durham (Scot lost his father, Ronald several years … I miss Mr. Durham’s corny jokes). These parents allowed me into their homes, fed me, took me to places where we had fun, chaperoned excursions, and most of all they loved me and gave me untimely advice. When I was 16, my father died. I KNEW that if I needed them, they would have dropped everything to come to my side. Praise the Lord, I never needed to call on them, but I knew they loved me and supported me.

    I got on the phone to order flowers from my favorite, Dalton Florists, Ruth & Doyles. However, that is where Ellen Durham works! LOL I had no idea how I was going to pull it off. Guess what??!! God had it handled. Ellen was off that day! Woot Woot! I ordered the flowers, and I had them delivered. They delivered them that very day.

    By the next week, I had received two very kind yet unnecessary Thank you cards. Yes, they were from, Mike and Sandra and Ellen. My heart soared! I am so blessed to still have them, and I still know they would help me in a heart beat if I needed them.

    Y’all the flowers/roses DO NOT have to be literal flowers/roses. They can be kind words, kind deeds , or other gifts to the people you appreciate. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you let them know!  Happy Saturday everyone. –Haven

    . Holidays . , , ,

    Updated Valentine’s Day 2013

    Haven's Ideals by Haven Caylor-Brown

    In the late 1990s, an article appeared in the Diario de Yucatán (The Yucatan Journal http://bit.ly/12jViAi). It was my favorite newspaper when I lived in the Yucatan in 1994, but I used the electronic version frequently from 1995 to 1999 when I was teaching English as a Second Language. The students I was teaching were all Spanish speaking, so I would use the articles to translate into English. The article that appeared one Valentine’s Day during those years was absolutely spectacular. It covered the three Greek loves: eros (sexual), phileo (brotherly), and agape (self-less).

    The lines about eros were not illicit, but very appropriate for that passion a person has for a boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse especially on Valentine’s Day. My students and I appreciated the lines regarding the phileo due to the fact they were all pre-teens or young teens who had absolutely NO USE for eros…

    View original post 105 more words

    Valentine’s Day 2013

    . Holidays . , ,

    In the late 1990s, an article appeared in the Diario de Yucatán (The Yucatan Journal http://bit.ly/12jViAi). It was my favorite newspaper when I lived in the Yucatan in 1994, but I used the electronic version frequently from 1995 to 1999 when I was teaching English as a Second Language. The students I was teaching were all Spanish speaking, so I would use the articles to translate into English. The article that appeared one Valentine’s Day during those years was absolutely spectacular. It covered the three Greek loves: eros (sexual), phileo (brotherly), and agape (self-less).

    The lines about eros were not illicit, but very appropriate for that passion a person has for a boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse especially on Valentine’s Day. My students and I appreciated the lines regarding the phileo due to the fact they were all pre-teens or young teens who had absolutely NO USE for eros. The Mexicans use the term “day of friendship” embedded in Valentine’s Day, and it’s nice to remember our beloved friends on February 14. For me, the most touching part was when the columnist wrote that Jesus Christ was the perfect example of agape on Valentine’s Day!

    Okay, so folks, be sure to tell your significant others you love them today. Folks, tell your friends you love them today (Friends I love you!!!), and please tell Jesus Christ you love him today as well.  There is no price tag on love, and it doesn’t cost one cent to say, “I love you.”

    Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.