Farewell, Slimey

We had a loss in the Binkley home tonight. Around 8:45 p.m., I was in the kitchen and noticed that Zach's beloved fish (a beta), whose home is on my windowsill above the sink, was not looking quite right. I called Gary in to verify (I wonder how many fish are pronounced by actual doctors?), and sure enough, he was gone. Zach took the news very hard. He cried and cried. Gary suggested burial "at sea", but Zach was not going for that. Instead, he wanted Slimey to be buried and he wanted to take his picture with him to remember him. Gary went outside and dug a little hole and Zach and I carried Slimey out for his funeral. Zach was crying so hard, and made us really sad for him. He told Slimey that he would miss him, and he said a prayer that God would help him to not be so sad. He spent the next hour talking with us about death and crying about his fish. He told me that he will still be sad, even when he is in heaven. He said a really sweet bedtime prayer that went something like this: "Dear God, I had a really good day today, but my fish Slimey died and I am sad. Please help me not be so sad. In Jesus name, Amen."

I told Zach that I would post these pictures on our blog and tell our friends and family about losing him. Zach has agreed that when he is ready, we will get a new fish. I will definitely post pictures of our new family member when he is added. We will miss our little fish!