Ten years ago, when I was searching for the perfect holiday gift for my daughter, I stumbled upon a small tank with two little frogs inside. I was thrilled at the find and it seemed like a fun gift for my daughter.

At the time she was seven and begging to have her very own pet to take care of.

She wanted something that would live in her room and only be hers. She wanted to be in charge of her pet.

The tank and frogs were under thirty dollars. This included the food and a few other items and when my daughter opened the gift, she was thrilled. She finally had her special pet.

Success.

We weren’t sure how long the frogs would live but they came with a six month guarantee.

Years came and went and the little frogs hung in there. My daughter took good care of them and even wrote them letters. “If you can read this, move to the right,” one of her letters said. When the frogs moved to the right, my daughter was convinced they were able to read and communicate with her. Their bond grew.

The first frog passed away after four years. Although Zoe was upset, she felt like four years was a long time to have the frog. It was a good lesson on life and death.

Thankfully, she still had the other frog. Her favorite frog. Happy Feet was his name. Since he was the only frog left, my daughter vowed to take extra good care of him. She talked to him, shared her life with him and he became a dear friend to her.

Last week, as we were busy packing and getting ready for spring break, my daughter came into our bedroom.

“I think my frog is dead,” Zoe said.

My husband and I immediately stopped what we were doing.

“Are you sure?” we asked. Sometimes, the frog appeared to be dead but after tapping the tank wall he would start moving. This had happened many times in the past.

“I really think he is,” Zoe said. She was sad and upset and wanted us to come take a look.

Our family went into her room, and sure enough, her little frog, Happy Feet, was dead. He looked as peaceful as a little frog could look, which surprised us all. He was on his back, with his arms out to the side and it almost looked like he was smiling.

“I’ve had him since I was seven,” Zoe said, “And, he’s seen me through some hard times. I’m really going to miss him.” She knew how lucky she was to have had him for ten years. That didn’t make her loss any less painful.

We’ve had a difficult year with our pets, having to put our dachshund to sleep several months ago.

It’s hard to lose a pet. Especially one you’ve grown up with.

We took a few moments to remember Happy Feet and Zoe shared her favorite memories of him. I wanted to fix this for her but I couldn’t. It hurt me to see her sad but there wasn’t anything I could do except give her a hug and hold her hand.

Take care of your pets, even the little ones. You never know how long you have with them.

Find meaning each day,

Dara