Rest in Peace, Hermie!

Last year Lofton got a hermit crab when we went to Destin. He named him Jack, after Jack and the Beanstalk, and he later changed his name to Hermie. Well, Hermie passed away on Tuesday, November 10th- at least I think so; he could've died earlier; I don't check on him every day. I had just been talking about how I couldn't believe Hermie had lived so long. I guess I should've knocked on wood.

Well, I waited most of the morning before breaking the news to Lofton. I really wasn't sure how he'd handle it, but I figured he'd be upset for a few minutes but then get excited about the thought of burying him. Well, I was wrong. As soon as I told him that Hermie had died, he teared up and cried for the next forty-five minutes. Through the tears, he said some really sweet things. Here is some of what he said, "I should've played with him more; Why does God make "people" die?; It's gonna break my heart, and maybe he killed himself because he wasn't happy here." I need to explain this last quote. I told him that we needed to bury Hermie so he could go to heaven because I was sure that Hermie would like that, and that is when he decided that maybe Hermie had committed suicide.

So, after the crying, we buried him and his two shells. Then we walked to the creek because Lofton said that we needed a stone to put his name on. After all of this, he had a great day. He hasn't fret too much since; he did ask me yesterday if I thought Hermie was in heaven yet.

As much as I wanted to take a picture of the burial, it would've been inappropriate, so here is a pic of Lofton when he first got Jack/Hermie.