Once again, it's Draw a Bird Day! On April 8 we celebrate the birthday of Dorie Cooper, who in 1943, visited her uncle in the hospital, as he was recovering from a land mine injury during World War II. He was understandably upset and depressed at the loss of a leg and, in an effort to cheer him up, Dorie asked him to draw her a bird.
He complied with her request and they laughed at his poor artistic skills, but she promised to display his bird in her room, anyway. After this first visit, every time she would come to see her uncle, the soldiers on the ward would hold bird drawing contests to see who could come up with the best picture. It always seemed to lift everyone's spirits.
Sadly, about three years later, Dorie perished in an automobile accident. At her funeral, the soldiers, nurses and doctors from her uncle's ward filled her coffin with bird drawings in her honor and her birthday has become an unofficial celebration of Dorie's bright and indomitable spirit and an excellent reminder to find joy in life's simple delights.
Here's an invitation to draw a bird for Dorie's birthday. Your drawing doesn't have to be fancy or accurate – remember, her uncle's was pretty bad. But if you're great at drawing birds, show off your skills! This year, I drew a playful bluebird of happiness, thinking of the 8 year old Dorie.
Don't forget to share your drawing with someone to spread the joy and honor Dorie's memory.
Happy Draw a Bird Day!
8 comments:
What a nice blue bird drawing !
I started practicing last night for the big day - that's "draw a bird day", NOT that stupid eclipse thingy. Soon I shall take my coffee, go outside and start drawing. Or maybe I'll just sit here where it's warm with my coffee and draw a bird, maybe more than one bird. Sky's the limit, you know !
Hugs to ya from BetsyLee
Oh, BetsyLee, I'm so glad you're drawing a bird today. I love Dorie's story and try to commemorate her birthday every year. I was trying to channel Dorie's enthusiastic 8 year old energy with my bluebird this time around. I've done more serious ones in the past, but I thought the world could use a little bit of playful. :) And the sky *is* the limit - it's full of birds, after all!
Hugs right back!
I told several friends about draw a bird day, and emailed out reminders today. One has sent me back a pic of her drawing. My husband even drew a bird or three ! It's been quite festive here today. :^)
Oh yeah, we bundled up and sat outside under blankets to watch the eclipse. We are located on the edge of the path, so it didn't get really dark, more like a thick cloudy day. I took a few pics when the clouds were thinner and acted like a filter, so got a few reasonable shots. Glad I didn't spend a stack of money and travel to see the 'spectacle'. Time was better spent drawing birds.
Bird Hugs from BetsyLee
totally forget about draw a bird day every year!!!!
I love your drawing. Thanks for sharing it.
Sheila
Sheila,
Draw one anyway, even if you missed the day. Keeps the spirit of the day going, you know. :^)
Hugs from BetsyLee
Oh, BetsyLee, that's fantastic! Thank you! I'm so glad you spread the kindness of Dorie's story and took the time to draw and share birds for her day. The eclipse was fun, too. I raked leaves and checked the eclipse progress between taking loads up the hill to drop off at the brush pile. (Bunnies and birds love the cover.)
Sheila, I'm with BetsyLee here. Draw a bird anyway. It's never too late to put a little joy and kindness out into the world. :)
Oh! And hugs to you both! :)
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