The dead hare was in his arms before I even knew it was there on the forest floor. It looked so much like a stuffed plush toy. How could my grandson resist picking it up and cuddling it? The bunny had not long been dead, with no sign of trauma on its little body.
It was a young hare, a leveret, with small ears and soft fur, similar to many others I’ve found and buried over the years. This time it was different though. I had a small child as my witness and I wondered how he would react to the bunny being buried in the ground.
We talked about what might have happened. Perhaps a neighbor’s cat had killed it for sport. Surely a bobcat or fox would have eaten it or carried it off to its den.
We dug a hole for it in a place in the yard where I’ve buried small bunnies in the past after finding their limp bodies on the lawn. After gently placing it in the hole, we covered the bunny with earth and placed a stone on top to deter wild animals from digging it up.
Nature is the great teacher. It shows us how death comes to all, even the young and beautiful. We may not understand why, but we can still show reverence for all God’s creatures, both in life and death.
Let parents then bequeath to their children not riches but the spirit of reverence.
~ Plato
Text and photographs copyright Amy-Lynn Bell 2014