To Everything There is a Season

One of my most common phrases I say to my kids is "Everything has a beginning and an end."

It's a phrase that comes in very handy for many different occasions: playdates, vacations, ice cream, TV shows, summer, bedtime, and people.

Today, it was because of our pet Peewee, the world's most docile and friendly hamster.

The Peester was getting up there in hamster years. About two months ago, we noticed how she was slowing down, not eating as much and didn't like to be bothered too much anymore. Very recently, I noticed that her abdomen was hard and her breathing was laboured. I knew she wasn't long for this world and mentioned it to Daughter as often and as gently as I could so as to prepare her.

Daughter and I were watching a rerun of the Much Music Video Awards together tonight (we were in Toronto this Saturday and saw a few performers practice). Husband finished tucking in the boys and wanted to watch a bit of House. It was time Daughter went to bed anyway.

"You can read for a little while," Husband said. "First, brush and floss and wash your face."

"And feed your pet," I added.

She opened the cage, reached in and took Peewee's red food bowl out. Then, startled, she gasped, "Oh my God!"

And then, shoulders shaking, "Mummmmeeeeeeeee....."

There Peewee lay, eyes closed across the threshold of a little cubby she used to store nuts.

Middle Child heard the commotion and came downstairs. I don't know if he was ashen because Peewee died (he didn't seem as attached to her as the other two had been) or if it was because Daughter was so grief-stricken.

Baby Boy was asleep. Either he'll take it very hard or my little consumer will see this as an opportunity to replace Peewee with something else.

The funeral is tomorrow morning before school. This may be setting her up to be completely miserable for the whole day, but, hey, everything has a beginning and an end.

Another way the phrase can be used? Baby Sister gave birth to a healthy, cute, chubby son. Daughter gained a cousin but lost a pet. We saw him (and his parents) on Saturday. Baby Boy was really looking forward to this baby. Every morning, he'd wake up and ask, "Did Auntie Baby Sister have the baby when I was sleeping?" Knowing how excited he was, Baby Sister wanted him to hold Baby Baby Sister. My little guy held him so gingerly, so tenderly. It was really precious until, "Ewww! My baby cousin farted on my hand!"

And thus ended his turn to hold my new nephew. Everything has a beginning and an end.

To stretch out the day and to make the long trip (and gas money) even more worthwhile, my brother-in-law Home Chef suggested we walk around. And, yeah, we watched the set-up of the MMVAs. And we ran into a friend, oddly enough, who was on a break from a 24-hour shift at a hospital. Then we went home because everything has a beginning and an end.

And I gotta get to sleep. Everything has a beginning and an end.