GRACIE
06/18/2004 - 12/06/2007
Our beloved Gracie died December 6th. The following is the tribute I wrote about her for Mickaboo on March 31, 2008.
Gracie Mae (aka Princess) was a wonderful bird who left us far too soon. It's been almost 4 months since she died,
but we still can't believe how quickly she left us and how very much we miss her. We're still heartbroken and devastated
at her loss. It's taken me this long to force myself to write Gracie's memorial. The pain is, of course, still very
present, but she deserved to have others hear about her. Gracie was a remarkable little cockatiel. "Sweet" doesn't come
close to explaining her nature and spirit. We loved her so much. It was impossible not to. She always wanted to be held
and talked to and stroked. She made the funniest little squawking noise which meant "Please, more!" It was her happy
sound. I thought she must have had a big parrot in her past, because her squawking noise sounded just like an irritated
big parrot. But it didn't mean irritation from her; it was pure joy. The squawk at a higher volume meant
"Come give me love ... Now! I need you!" I could stroke her head and neck and hold her close and she'd just be enraptured.
I could even hold her little head in the fingers of one hand and stroke her throat with the other hand. Grace was so happy
when she joined our other two tiels after her quarantine in our bathroom. It had been hard to see her so lonely and hear
her calls to the rest of our "flock." It is some consolation that she was happy the final few weeks of her life.
Gracie stepped up onto fingers so delicately and tentatively that it didn't feel like she was there. She felt like a
very small, airy pillow. That's why I always leaned her to my chest, against my heart, to give her stability. She loved
the warmth and closeness of it. Gracie is the only cockatiel I've ever heard of that wanted as much attention and loving
as she did. She, literally, would've loved to be held and talked to all day long. She never tired of it. We only had
Gracie 3 months, but she left a huge impression on us. There isn't a day that I don't think of Gracie and wish
she was still here. "Grace" was an excellent name for her. Though her walk was pretty clumsy, the grace
she brought into our lives was truly amazing. She died in my hands, cupped against my heart for warmth, exactly where
she always wanted to be. I still ache for her.