Micah's sad day

So we went out to dinner Tuesday night at the Cheesecake Factory. Micah got a gift card from his God mommy for his birthday so he wanted to use it tonight. Thanks girlie!!! He sure does love "The Factory" as he calls it. We drove there and Antwan met us since he was still at work and it's right across the street.

We got there and ordered and had a very peaceful meal....that doesn't happen too often without lil' man complaining about how he doesn't like the food. And of course, he ordered a piece of cheesecake. I think he ate all but one strawberry off of it first.

Well, we left and went home. I walked into his bedroom and smelled something like ammonia. I walked over to his dresser and looked at the orange-brown water in the fish tank. Yeah, it turned that color because it's extremely dusty in that apartment and Micah added a little too much food a couple days prior....well waaaaaay too much. Well, I was looking for Nadie (that's the name of the fish). I saw him around the top of the bowl and I tapped the bowl. No movement. I shook the bowl. No movement. I used a little straw I found and poked him. Not movement. You guessed it......Nadie was dead! I think the fact that the water already needed to be changed, the excess food and accumulation of dust probably caused Nadie to suffocate.

I called Micah into the room and told him the news. He immediately began to cry. He was really attached to the fish. He had it for over 2 yrs. That's a long time for a little kid to keep an "animal" and be responsible with it. He made sure that when it was time to clean the tank, he told mommie and nagged about it until it was done. Maybe I should have done it a few days earlier. I do feel kinda bad, but hey....what's done is done. Anyway, he cried and said that he didn't want Nadie to go. He needed him here and that he loved him very much. He was so upset that he said he wanted to be with him.

I tried to explain that Nadie went up to be with God because God needed him and that his brother and sister that we lost (my two miscarriages) would take good care of him. He didn't really care about that he just wanted his fish back. I asked him if he wanted to flush Nadie or bury him. He didn't want to do either. I told him he could think about it over night and let me know but Nadie couldn't float in the water forever.

He cried himself to sleep. I don't like seeing him so upset. How do you explain death to a 4yr old? I did the best I could. He finally decided to flush Nadie and we said a few nice words as he went down the drain. We'll Miss you Nadie!

A replacement may or may not be in the future, especially since Dad has agreed that Micah can get a dog after we move into the new house. I'll keep you updated. Just pray that Micah's emotions remain steady during this grievous time.