RIP-Jet

Throughout her early years, Alix adored animals. Really, to say she adored animals is being too cute about it. She empathized, and identified with animals. She believed individual animals were her personal friends. Our next door neighbor had a yellow cat named Mandy. Or, rather, Alix called the cat Mandy. I'm not sure we actually knew what the cat's name was. Alix greeted Mandy when she came home from kindergarten, and sat on the front stoop with Mandy in the clean, clear Spring air. Alix called Mandy her "friend cat". When Mandy disappeared, Alix looked for her, and hoped for when she came back, which she did.
Mandy was a friend in the friend constellation that my younger daughter always maintained.

A preschool student's mother gave us a rabbit in my first year of teaching. Alix was five. This started our family's rabbit adventure. The rabbit, Cinnamon Pie, became another friend in the constellation. Soon there were too many friend rabbits to mention here! Cinnamon never became a mother, and died of indeterminate age, memorialized by Alix and me with a rosebush planted in our back yard. But there was Thumper, Little Thump, Little Thump, Jr., Butterscotch, Lucky, Clover, Groucho, and many others. Alix learned over the years to care for rabbits. Later Alix and Katie received free guinea pigs, and Alix trained them to jump into their cages, just as she trained our poodles to roll over, and horses to jump.
Alix related well to animals, and they to her.

Three years ago, Alix, and her sweetie, Dan, bought a black guinea pig, and called him Jet. They became devoted parents to him. Alix used her considerable skills to care for Jet, and Dan became a dedicated driver on vet runs. Jet had a happy guinea pig life, and died last night after a prolonged illness. Dan and Alix buried him in Dan's parents' back yard. Instead of a rosebush, and in keeping with the times, Alix posted a memorial for Jet. On Facebook.

When you give birth to children, you learn that each one is uniquely gifted. At least to me, my younger daughter is thus gifted with an empathic kindness that includes guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs and horses. All have equal places of respect in her heart. Her constellation is full of friends, both human and furry.