A Tribute to "Bluey"

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of "Bluey", Murray's beloved blue Beta fish.  He was found deceased this morning at approximately 10:34 by his five year old owner.

Bluey was a good fish.  He was kind and never complained.  His passions included floating around in his bowl and eating. 

Bluey's funeral arrangements are pending.  Murray needs time to grieve, and he just can't bear to send him to the big lake in the toilet sky.  We said a prayer over him; Murray asked God to let Bluey play with him someday, and he plans to honor him by naming all subsequent fish "Bluey".

Rest in peace, dear Bluey.  You were loved.

Okay, insert hysterical laughter here.  Here's how it all went down:

Murray asked me to come with him to look at something.  I did, and he led me to Bluey's bowl.  He pointed and matter of factly asked, "Mom, is Bluey dead?"  I callously replied, "Yep!"  not expecting sobbing to ensue.  I honestly didn't think he would care.

Well, sobbing did ensue, and I had to excuse myself from the room because I was laughing.  When I calmed down, we said a nice prayer over Bluey's bowl and discussed about what we would do with his body.  Murray is not ready to see him go, so his remains will stay in place until he is ready to make a decision (unless he starts to smell).  For now, we're having an open casket.

The following Facebook thread is hysterical (posted with permission).  We are feeling so grateful for the kind sentiments about Bluey.

The Obit:
It is with great sadness that I announce that Bluey, Murray's beloved blue beta fish has passed away. He was a good fish. We said a prayer for him, and now, he is in fish heaven. Murray is very sad about Bluey's passing, but Bluey will live in our hearts forever. Lots of Murray's tears around here today. He plans to honor Bluey by naming every single fish after him.

Am I a horrible mother for having to leave the room because I had to hide my hysterical laughter? My son's sadness is never funny, but it's a .99 fish for goodness sake. Poor kid. Life's lessons can be so hard.

From R.S.:

Oh my heavens, you've got me laughing hysterically too. No, you're not a bad mom. You would have been if you'd stayed in the room and laughed out loud. Politely excusing you to have a natural and normal reaction is permitted. By the way, when my puppy...

 

From J.R:

I can't believe Bluey was still alive! i thought he was done for when I was there! :) RIP Bluey.... Thank you for being a good fishy for Murray.

 

Marie Beckerleg Thanks, Rox! Murray is not ready to lay Bluey to rest, so we're giving him time to grieve. Lol!

 

From J.R.:

Are we going to bury him or convince him that the toilet will flush him to a big lake in Heaven??

 

Marie Beckerleg Funeral arrangements are pending. :)

 

From R.S.:

Marie, you have me roaring here! I mentioned a tribute on my wall, too, so others could join in a great heave of sympathy.

 

Marie Beckerleg I can't stop laughing! Craig is currently searching the Walmart web site for a new tank and new fish. He read our comment threads and your wall post and then he had to excuse himself. I could hear him snorting with laughter!

 

From R.S.:

I am laughing still and just asked the family to consider a moment of silence for this special intention. Elizabeth looked at me very strangely. I think she thinks I've lost it.

From J.R.:

omg. I am laughing so hard! poor Murray... What a kind heart he has. But... still super funny!!

 

And then, R.S. posted this on her wall:

Please join me in heartfelt condolences for "Bluey," the precious and beloved beta fish of my friend Marie Beckerleg's 5-year-old son, Murray. Our great loss becomes an eternal gain for the big ocean in heaven! :) (Thanks for the bittersweet smiles today, Marie. :))

 

 

God speed, Bluey.  You are missed.  But, we don't miss changing your water.