Yes, apparently I have managed to kill yet another family pet.

The first was the guinea pig about three years ago. I accidentally fed it grass from the front lawn, which we had sprayed for bugs the day before. Without even thinking, I pulled some grass for Baby (the guinea pig) and left it in his dish. An hour later - dead as a doorknob. I felt terrible, but could never bring myself to tell the kids why he was dead. Who wants to admit they are a pet killer?

Today, it is my son’s parakeet. I am not totally sure, but I think I did it again. The bird, Randy, seemed happy and in good health. My son is not - he has a terrible cough. I decided to put a humidifier in his room so he could sleep, and placed some Vaporub humidifier solution in it for extra help. Now I am thinking that the Vaporub may have not been a good thing for the bird to breath in.

Poor kiddo - my son is so upset. Lots of tears. He really took good care of his bird. I never had to do anything.

It is a life lesson that everyone has to learn - living things die. When we open our hearts to love, we do so at great risk. To love requires that we become vulnerable. Our hearts must open in order to let others in, and in order to show our love. Opening our hearts to love also means opening our hearts to a number of hurts - rejection, misunderstanding, and yes, the pain of losing those we love.

As much as we would like to protect our children from loss, we cannot. They, like all others, must endure this pain. Our job is to help them see the hope even in the face of loss.

I just wish I wasn’t the Angel of Pet Death in our house!