For a pet who has passed on...

We had one of those sad events in our household a couple of weeks ago. My stepson's pet hamster, Samwise Gamgee (affectionately known as "Sammie Hammie" to those who loved him) passed along in his sleep one afternoon. We knew he was probably not going to be with us much longer, as he was starting to experience some of the age-related hamster issues that plague these little guys who are often quite inbred. But the reality of his passing was still very upsetting for us all.

We created a nice ritual for saying goodbye to Sammie that I thought I would share here. First, we all had a good cuddle and cry and talked about what a wonderful little hamster he was. And, this was very true - unlike many hamsters who seem to have a real mean streak, Sammie had not one mean bone in his little body. He loved to be picked up and held and to sit on people's shoulders. My husband had even made a little song up for when he wanted to call him out from his little house - and Sammie would hear that song and climb up the ramps to the top of the cage where he could be picked up. So, we had a lot of loving memories to share of our time spent with the little guy.

Then, we discussed how everything that dies goes back into the Earth, and from the elements that once were the hamster - or the person - we knew, new life would spring. So in the spirit of that knowledge, my son chose not to put Sammie into a box or anything that would inhibit his returning to the Earth. He chose instead to simply wrap him up in a piece of brightly colored cloth, along with a sprinkle of his favorite hammie food.

We chose to bury Sammie out in the back yard, in a special area we've reserved for departed pets. My son wanted to dig the hole himself, so we helped him do that. Then, we placed Sammie tenderly in the earth, and told him goodbye. My son put some earth in on top of the little bundle, several inches of it (we have dogs and cats, so we buried him deeply to keep him unmolested.) Then, we planted some daffodil bulbs on top of the burial site - one bulb for each person in the family who loved him. In this way we celebrated the new life that would come from our loss.