UNhappy Birthday

"And, Katy, you better not take any kids in our room and let my hampster outta the cage!" warned big sister Kimberly. This was her pre-party instruction while I iced her birthday cake.  Katy loved Sweetie too but she was Kimberly's pet.

Party hats, candles, gifts, streamers and balloons adorned our driveway as the party began in our carport.  Children arrived as adults visited and served.  The joyous sounds were suddenly interrupted with screaming, "KATY!  I TOLD you to stay out!"  Kimberly began to cry as Katy's tears were also cascading down her red cheeks.

"What happened?" I asked.  They took me to their bedroom where I saw the dead hampster in the cage.  

It seems the temptation to introduce Sweetie to a friend lured Katy and Eric into the bedroom, just to peek at the cute furball.  Innocently Eric lifted the cage door when Katy loudly repeated the warning from her sister, "Don't let him out!"  Obediently Eric quickly slammed the cage door down right onto Sweetie's neck. They lifted the door and shoved the lifeless lump of fur back into the cage.  Too little. Too late. Confession followed discovery.

Katy in blue standing behind Eric
(not sure what he's hiding behind his back
and mischievous smile)

Forgiveness and reconciliation between sisters took some time and overshadowed the birthday bash that sad day. Eric remained friends with the girls as did his family with ours.  He and Katy even took swimming lessons together.

Several years later Kimberly was married and Katy in high school when she and Eric attended her Junior Senior banquet, still just friends. Both went their separate ways to different colleges. Katy taught school at her alma mater awhile then married Dave, moved to Canada and had 4 little boys.  

One day though Eric popped up on my facebook radar and I saw he had become a doctor.  He was in scrubs performing surgery. Many greetings of congratulations popped under the comment section.  I joined the fray with a different message:

Eric Eason, pediatric cardiologist

"Eric, do your patients know that before you started saving lives, you were a hampster murderer?"

He quickly denied it, even blaming his sister, Alicia, for creating such a hideous rumor. She shot back a comment accusing him of both Sweetie's death and his false denial.  This was all reminiscent of the long-ago but not forgotten birthday party. Maturity sidesteps sibling rivalry sometimes.  Obviously his funny bone remained intact.

• Innocence
• Laying down the law
• Violation
• Death
• Forgiveness
• Reconciliation
• Redemption from bringing death to
• Giving life for and to others

Any of this sound familiar?

Aside from making Eric both the first and second Adam, there may be a few viable parallels here.

On shaky theological ground, but still standing,

Kathy
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