L J Meyers - Homeward Angels

There aren’t all that many people around here that have 100 employees. And no one has 100 employees who willingly work for chicken feed. Well, that is except for this Spartanburg County resident – L J Meyers. Chances are you might have seen LJ at work or perhaps you’ve seen his employees doing their job. You’ll find LJ with his feet firmly placed on the ground but his employees might be hundreds of feet in the sky helping celebrate an important life event. And between them they’re making lifelong memories for the people who are a part.

LJ Meyers runs Homeward Angels and his angels are white doves. A white dove release is an impressive site and one that can help heal, bring great comfort, and some needed joy to those who are mourning the loss of a loved one. And a white dove release can help celebrate a wedding, a major anniversary, a memorial service, and other landmark family events.
 
This story isn’t meant to give you the science and facts behind a dove release except to say that these are all homing birds and are trained by LJ to return to their loft at the end of a release. And in all cases these doves are safely back at home before LJ gets to his driveway even if their starting point was hundreds of miles away. 

L J Meyers

L J addresses the crowd at the 9/11 Memorial Event before the dove release at the Landrum Depot.

LJ grew up in New Jersey but has called the Foothills home for over 30 years. He discovered the Carolina mountains and foothills when he was a Boy Scout and his troop would take spring trips to new and interesting places. He thought if he ever moved he would have to check out this area.
 
LJ has had a love of birds and other animals ever since he was a child. When he was just seven years old he rescued a common pigeon he found stranded under the Route 23 Highway Bridge over the Pompton River near his hometown in New Jersey. His dad let him keep and take care of the bird. It was then that LJ learned that his dad used to keep birds and his dad knew of a man down the street who had racing birds. A new hobby was launched.

Fast-forward several decades and LJ and his boys were visiting the South Carolina State Fair in Columbia. LJ steered his sons to the barn with the birds and they loved seeing all the different types and colors and sizes. But when the boys learned that birds could be raced their eyes lit up and LJ knew they were hooked. That led to LJ starting his first loft and the entire family enjoyed raising and racing the birds. LJ and his family continued to race birds for several years but as the boys started to outgrow their interest, LJ’s excitement never waned. 

9/11 Memorial dove release in Landrum.

LJ works as a finish carpenter for his profession and he’s a superb craftsman. I know that firsthand. But LJ’s always looking ahead and he was thinking it was time for those birds to pay their way. He has over 100 of them and they need feeding and care every day. LJ was familiar with dove releases through his contacts in the racing community and thought that maybe this was something he should do. His mind was made up one weekend while sitting in his garden. He wasn’t looking for a sign from above, but out of nowhere on two occasions people approached him and asked if he could help do a dove release. One was for a wedding and the other for a funeral…two completely different occasions but both people were looking for a way to bring special meaning to their event. And from that point LJ knew that this was the right thing to do.
 
LJ had no idea what path this would take him, but he didn’t hesitate to start the journey. Now 11 years later he knows he’s made the right decision. He has no plans to retire from his carpentry work anytime soon, but he knows his work with the doves will continue well beyond that. LJ’s Homeward Angels have helped families and communities celebrate landmark events across 18 counties in three states. 

It takes a lot of work to set up for a major dove release.

The dove releases can symbolize all kinds of things depending on the event. It’s not always easy as some occasions are very sad and others joyous. But watching a release has an impact on everyone who witnesses it. His Homeward Angels reach into your soul. The dove release can help bring closure on one day and it can mark the beginning of something new on another. LJ says, “It’s not about the birds but about the symbolism and the birds are the conveyance of that special meaning.” Everyone who sees or participates in one of LJ’s white dove releases comes away a changed person. It’s a great feeling.

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More to know

LJ Meyers provides professional white dove releases for private and public events and ceremonies. Fees depend on travel distance, number of birds requested, and any special services LJ might need to provide. He is, by the way, an ordained minister. LJ does a lot of releases as a community service at no charge. Photos are from a recent 9/11 ceremony and a Veterans Day release. You can contact LJ at 864/ 457-4676 (home), 864/ 357-5581 (cell), by email at [email protected]. His website is: HomewardAngelsWhiteDoves.com. LJ is a member of the National White Dove Release Society.
 

A sample of a release. This is from an impromptu Veterans Day release L J provided in Landrum.
You can also see the video by clicking this link. This might help if the video below is slow to load.

L J recruited a few kids to help him with an unannounced dove release on Veterans Day at the Veterans Memorial in Brookwood Park in Landrum, SC.

Click on each photo below to see an enlarged version and captions.