Minus and Plus

Last night we lost a little member of our family. Angel, Sebastian's dwarf hamster, was found curled up in a deep sleep that she was not to wake from. She was a very sweet little hamster and tolerant of Sebastian's Lego mazes and rough handling from his friends.

We decided not to tell Sebastian until he returned from school today. Jason scooted out to the pet shop and found a replacement, a blue sapphire dwarf hamster. When Sebastian came home, he took the news better than we anticipated, the blow softened by the novelty of a new little fur ball to 'train' as he put it.

When pressed for a name, he gave it a few moments consideration then declared that she will be called Sakura-chan. (I swear I had nothing to do with his choice.) This way, he said, we will always remember when she came into our home and when Angel left.