Good-bye Little Anne

On the 5th Jayke was completely devastated by the loss of his "Little Anne". She was attacked by a pair of vicious scissors that cut through her chest and arms, completing sucking the life right out of her. Poor Little Anne was Jayke's pride and joy. He cried, no bawled his eyes out for hours over the loss of her. He asked me over and over to help her and I kept telling him that she was lost forever. He told me he KNEW there was a way I could save her, but I told him that this is a lesson he must learn. Sometimes we need to say good-bye to those we love the most. Nobody can live forever. Nobody WANTS to die, but it is a part of life. We ended up having a funeral for her. Jayke made a paper bag "casket" for her and I buried her. When I showed Jayke the completed "grave" he decided that he wanted to put a little saying on paper for a headstone for her. He ended up crying himself to sleep that night. Here is a picture of Jayke and Little Anne before we put her in her "casket".

Yes, Little Anne is a stuffed animal. He is obviously VERY attached to her. It all started back when we had read "Where the Red Fern Grows" to him. He fell in love with that story. He named his big brown stuffed dog Old Dan (he had him since he was 18months) and when he got this dog from his church teacher a year and a half ago he knew just what to call her, Little Anne. They were a match made in heaven, Jayke and his two dogs. He loved them until he loved them more than anything else in the world. He could not sleep at night without them and often played with them during the day. They were his steady and constant companions. Then, the brutal and careless scissors got a hold of poor Little Anne. Now Jaykes story of him and his dogs is starting to become very much like the story of "Where the Red Fern Grows".

Death is a part of life. Not a very happy one, but one that must be experienced. Farewell Little Anne. Rest in Peace.

(On a little side note, Jayke apparently dug up her grave and hid her inside the house where I wouldn't find her. I just happened to find the cloth she was buried in inside Kate's room so I went outside and checked the grave, which was completely empty. I started a whole-house search for more evidence. Not finding anything, I asked Ethan what had happened and he told me where Jayke had hid her. When I had a chance to do it unnoticed, I went in and got her. Jayke had taken the rough side of the velcro and stuck it on her wounds so that she wasn't gaping open. Very creative, but it's not gonna fly. He needs this lesson. Now she is going to be conveniently placed in the black garbage bin for the garbage pick-up first thing in the morning. I'm such a heart-less mom.)