Good Morning everyone
Thank you for coming our
annual pet memorial service, this morning.
Last
Tuesday, was Halloween. Michi and I went to Rev. Bob and Patti’s home to give candy
to the “Trick or Treating” kids. Of
course, I brought my Sponge Bob costume their his
home. Sensei Patti served delicious
food to us. She made my favorite
food. Potatoes!
Anyway,
that night, we had 107 kids coming to trick or treat at their home. It was a few less than last year, so I
hope more kids will come the next year.
When
we are asked the question, “what kind of pet do you want to have?” I guess most of us may answer, “I
would like a dog or cat.” My answer
would be…Tropical fish. Some of you
may remember that back in June of 2005, we bought a 60 gallon tank. Large enough to hold
several kinds of tropical fish.
I
have had many different kinds of fish: Cory catfish, Danios,
Neon Tetras and Guppies. They
are all Fresh water fish. So, we
were not able to buy fish like the one in the Disney Cartoon, “Finding Nemo” because they live in Salt water. Today, I would like to talk about our
Guppies.
Some of
you may know that Guppies are a viviparous fish which means Guppies give birth
to live baby fish. So, Guppies do
not lay eggs that become baby Guppies.
And…they have baby fish almost every month. Not only that, after
only about 2 weeks, the baby fish will start to have their babies. Now, we have had 7 generations of
Guppies. Their life is very short,
not like dogs or cats. Guppies only
live from about 8 months…up to 2 years.
We have many Guppies…but Every week, some of
the Guppies die.
Already, there are no more
1st generation Guppy in our fish tank.
A
60 gallon tank is a small space to us.
But for those fish, it is their whole world. They were born in that tank and they died
in that same tank…
When I sit
down in front of the fish tank and watch the fish, I can relax. I think if you have a pet, you may also
find it relaxing just to watch them or play with them.
Although
we do our best to take great care of them, someday all of our pets must
die. If you have animals that may
have a long life, such as a dog or a cat, it is even more difficult when that
time comes when we lose our pet. I
experienced the loss of many of our pet fish. But I have also experienced many
wonderful times watching our fish having babies and seeing new life in our tank.
When I
think about their lives, I cannot help but also think about my life.
I think when people have a pet, they may learn how
precious it is to have life and they may learn that there is great
responsibility in taking care of another life… If we forget to feed our pets, they may
lose their lives easily, especially if they are delicate fish. So, their lives become a part of our
lives. Their lives are directly
connected to our lives…Because they cannot survive without our support.
Today, many members brought their pet’s pictures in
front of Amida Buddha. These Pets were all a part of your
family. Although they are gone, I am sure
that they continue to be a part of their families’ lives… When I see their pictures, I am sure
that… they were very loved and cared for.
Our annual
Pet memorial service is a special time to remember and appreciate to our pets
that we have lost. They will
always be in our lives and in our memories…
Our pet memorial service is a good reminder for us to
care for all the living things that we love in our lives
Gassho.