Cricetus cricetus

We lost a family member on Sunday night. Don't fret too much - it's a pet; a Chinese hamster to be exact. For Kelsey it was a heartbreaking loss. For Cole it t00k about 5 minutes for it to sink in that she was gone then the emotions came. For Lynnette it was surprising how much pain she felt. For me, well I felt bad for them.

Sunday night was one of those fun evenings where you just feel good as a family unit; like you accomplished a lot that weekend and now it was time to relax and enjoy the family time. We'd had a busy day on Saturday with lots of good activities and successes: Kelsey did well with her Bible Quizing, Lynnette and I went on a date and Cole and I successfully changed the fuel filter on our car (*more on that later). Earlier on Sunday we had an enjoyable time with Lynnette's family at our house with a ridiculously big lunch. It was now time to sit back and take it easy. Then Lynnette found Stephanie curled up in a ball in the bottom of the cage - not moving.

Kelsey is an animal lover. My heart sank at the thought of telling her the news. You see she wants to be a veterinarian (as most girls her age do). She loves horses. We have a cat, one hamster now, a frog and two hermit crabs. She walks our neighbor's dog most every night with a begrudging Cole trailing close behind. Some people just enjoy God's animal kingdom - Kelsey is one of them.

The funeral was held on Monday night in the back yard. It was a cold, rainy night and we had to hury because it was getting dark. Stephanie was in the shoebox with a note from each kid and a toy from Kelsey. We dug a hole, buried her, sang a song and prayed. Tears were shed.

Part of me is happy that the kids' first death experience was a hamster. I know that there will be other losses in their lives and I hope that this somehow will make those easier. The other part of me realizes that death is never easy - even with practice.