Goodbye Flipper...
A Story From The Life of the Charles Family
April 16, 2001. Sad News Today for the Charles Family.
We had a very sad event today. The little canary, that Stephanie named Flipper, died this morning. Actually it was Grams bird. But, on Grams insistence, Stephanie has had it most of the time since we got it in 1996.
Flipper lived in Stephanie's room. They were dear friends.
This morning when Stephanie went to take the cover off his cage and have their routine "good morning chat" Flipper was laying there still, and un-responsive. She called out to me in alarm.
Flipper had been unable to stay on his perches without falling for a few days, so I knew what she had found, even before I got there. We had placed his food, water, and other needs in the bottom of the cage where he could reach them, to make him as comfortable as possible for his remaining time on this earth.
We all stood and stared at the dear bird, speechless. Then Stephanie reached up, drew the cover back around the cage and turned away in tears.
We have had a journey of grief this day... From discovery and disbelief, to shock, to tears, talking about it, making a little casket and decorating it, making a good-bye note to go in the casket, talking about it some more, and being quiet with sadness over the deep loss of a faithful friend.
When Ben got home from work we had a little ceremony, or a "Wake", in the Native tradition, with words of appreciation for Flipper, remembering his cute little ways, and the joy that he brought to our lives. We said our good-byes. Then we put on our coats and went to the back yard.
Ben pushed Stephanie's wheelchair over the rough terrain. Stephanie gently held the floral-design wrapping-paper covered "casket" and sorrowed for the loss of her little feathered friend.
The burial, also in the Native tradition, we watched, all forlorn, as Ben dug the little grave near the towering pine tree. We mentally resisted the finality of placing the casket into the hole. We sprinkled some dirt on the casket.
Ben said the committal, as he has for so many scores of our human friends and family members through the years.
"Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. We commit this body to the earth from whence it came, until the day of the Lord and the resurrection of the dead in Christ".
Stephanie sobbed out her pain as Ben reached for the shovel and carefully filled in the tiny grave.
We held hands and cried; Stephanie, for the loss of her special friend, and I for the pain of my daughter's broken heart. That little bird will be sorely missed in this household.
On the way back in from the "funeral" we paused at the corner of the house to observe the new leaves budding out on the little lilac bush. A fitting close to our sad, good-bye ceremony. A reminder that life does go on.
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Memories of Flipper...
Flipper was an unusual little canary that seldom sang, but was best known for his acrobatic ability of "flipping"... Thus, the name Flipper.
He was also known for "bossing" us around, as Stephanie affectionately called it.
The little bird had a special power of persuasion that I could not match. It seems I could tell Steph seventeen times that it was time for her to hop in the shower, with no glimmer of hope for cooperation. Finally she would holler to me that Flipper told her to get in the shower, so she was then ready to comply. Amazing!
Flipper would talk to us in his little "bird language" on various subjects.
When Ben would go in to help tie Stephanie's shoes, Flipper would scold. "What are you doing to my Stephanie?" he seemed to say. Ben would reply that he was tying her shoes. Flipper would chirp, then coo, as if to say, "Well, okay then, but be careful"! For a bird he was very protective of Steph.
In the mornings, when Flipper got up, he would call out "asking" for his "salad" (lettuce, which he consumed great amounts of each day), then a grape or a slice of sweet apple, a carrot, both kinds of seeds, and lastly his water. He would hop over to where each item belonged, and "ask" for it, seemingly by name. When it was placed, then he went to the next position, asking and waiting for that item, an so on.
He loved for us to stand near his cage and talk with him. He responded with chirps, whistles, and coos. Often, as we moved around the cage from side to side he followed, hopping from one perch to the next, always nearest to where we stood.
To some music, or even certain sounds from TV (particularly forest or jungle sounds on nature shows), Flipper would burst into arias of joyous song. These were never expected and we were thrilled by the impromptu concerts.
We took Flipper for little outings in the yard when the family was outside. In mild weather, we positioned his cage for the best advantage for a warm "sunbath". On hotter, summer days, giving him prime shade locations. I think he felt like a real part of the family.
Flipper demonstrated his unique acrobatic ability most when he was housed in his smaller, "going by-bye" cage. The routine went like this. He would stand on an upper perch, glance at the top of the cage, shift his weight back and forth, then jump up in the air, doing a back-flip, giving the top of the cage a kick on his way over, and landing back on the perch.
Sometimes he landed facing the same way. Other times he would do a twist on the way down and land facing in the opposite direction. Kind of a flip with a twist.
He would sometimes continue this work-out for ten minutes or more, pausing only briefly to make sure his audience remained in awe of his skilled performance.
Each night, when we said bedtime prayers with Stephanie, Flipper would hop to his sleeping perch, "bow" his head, and coo softly until the final "amen" was said. Then there was not another sound out of him till getting-up time in the morning, when he would chirp softly, letting us know he was awake and ready for the day.
Flipper was a companion and a friend to Stephanie. Stephanie's days were filled with interaction and conversation with Flipper. She dIscussed everything with him, from what she was going to wear for the day, to what they would like for lunch, to what TV show or video they should watch next. They comforted one another.
That little tiny bird leaves a great expanse of emptiness for Stephanie life. I weep for their great loss of one another. For Flipper had a great affection and attachment for Stephanie as well.
Only one other pet has ever formed this kind of deep attachment to Stephanie. That was her "Boo Boo" cat, Boots Wagner, who found us during a very harsh time for us, while living in Canada. Boots adored Steph like I've never seen a cat adore a person, before or since. But that is another story for another time.
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