RIP Lily

I got back from Portland this evening and I was going to blog about my trip. But obviously life doesn't always turn out the way you plan it.

Tragedy struck my family this evening. Our beloved family pet died unexpectedly and words cannot describe how incredibly sad I am. I never knew it was possible to love a pet so much. It hurts very badly.

Her name was Lily and she was my family's love bird. We bought her as a baby a few years ago. This was not our first pet. We've had 14 rabbits and other birds (parakeets, finches, etc.) before, but we never got attached.



Lily was different. She was the smartest bird we have ever had. She had a huge personality and was almost like a dog. She sat with my parents at the dinner table and nibbled food off their plates and always tried to drink beer out of my mom's glass. (She loved beer). She knew who we were. The minute we would enter the house, she would start chirping and rush to the side of the cage where we were standing and hang on her perch upside down to make us laugh. She always demanded attention.

Most of her time was spent outside of the cage than inside. She loved to sit on our shoulders and walk up and down each staircase of the house. She always let us know what annoyed her. One time, I tried feeding her some bread she thought was disgusting so she jumped up on my shoulder and bit me on the ear.

For my parents, she was the center of their life. They talked about her constantly, played with her all the time, and if you didn't know any better, you would think she was their second kid. It always comforted me to know they had something like that in their life, since I'm not always around.

This evening, Lily was sitting on my mom's shoulder after we got back in from Portland. My mom was unpacking and not paying attention and accidentally slammed into a doorway. Lily smashed into the doorway too and fell to the ground. We think her neck broke. My mom held her and tried to comfort her while I tried to find the number for a vet. But it was too late. Lily passed away ten minutes later.

I am so devastated and my heart is breaking right now. I will never forget the look on Lily's face when we were holding her while she was dying. I could see the pain and she was so quiet. She was making soft little chirp noises, so different from her usual sound. It is the worst feeling in the world to be so helpless around someone you love when they need you the most. I wish there was something I could have done for her. I wish I could go back in time.

My mom feels worse than I do. She blames herself. But it wasn't her fault. It was an accident.

I just can't believe this has happened. I want it all to be a nightmare and to wake up tomorrow and find out Lily is okay.

But I can't and I won't.

I guess all I can do now is hope to stop crying.