Hershey, my beautiful daughter (bird) passed away on June 19th, at the age of 16.

  I will never forget her or that joy she brought me.  I welcomed Hershey (full name Bonnie Colleen Joyce Alex Cahill Hershey, first three names after some old friends of mine, Alex Cahill after Walker’s, same as my male cockatiel, originally known as Buddy was renamed Walker after Chuck Norris’s beloved character from the ’90s, and was later renamed Snake Plissken. She was renamed Hershey to match him, into my heart and my life at age 7, on a winter night in 2001. I bought her from a breeder and the girl who sold her to me was wearing earrings and a bracelet and said “She likes to play with jewelry,” I smiled and thought about letting her play with my bracelets.

I named her Bonnie because I thought she looked like Bonnie, who was a good, good friend of mine.  

To me Hershey was much more than a bird. She was my daughter. I loved her since I was 7 years old and I always saw her as a younger, sweeter, more beautiful version of myself.

 As I buried her, I looked at her one last time and told her “I’ll never forget you, Hershey. I couldn’t ask for a better daughter. You were there for me when nobody else was and you saw me at my worst and always cheered me up. Thank you for everything. I really miss you and I can’t believe you’re gone. I wish I could hold you one last time. Make that one million last times. I’m so sorry. Goodbye Hershey. I love you,” I said as I buried her, tears streaming down my face. Then I heard what sounded like a young female voice saying “I’m with you in spirit” and I believe it was her even though she couldn’t speak English but she was breaking through my realm to tell me she is okay.

 I will never forget my beautiful daughter Hershey and the happiness and comfort she brought me. I think when she died she took a big chunk of me with her, as have Rainbow the Betta, Gauge the Parakeet and many others. The 16 years I had her by my side were some of the most beautiful years of my life even in the darkest of times.

By Rosie Brunner