I will miss you Rocky

Some of you will remember Rocky. He was an amazing, inspiring little guy. I'm usually not one to get that attached to my aquatic babies. I know their lives aren't very long and they have so many things that can happen to them. Rocky was a different story though. From the moment he was introduced into the tank, he had to fight. He kept fighting for weeks, beating the odds and surviving terrible injuries. He came into our lives just as we decided to start trying again and he brought me hope.

Rocky died yesterday.

I feel sort of silly getting worked up over a little fish but seriously, you should have seen this guy! Every single day we looked to see if he was still going and every day he would welcome us with gutsy little swishes of his upside down tail, daring anyone to mess with him. He managed to find ways to eat and perservere despite the problems he had.

I noticed him acting a bit sluggish a few days ago and realized he must be getting tired. I felt like it was nearing time for him to go. It was better that way. He fought so hard for such a long time but his fins were too damaged and they never truly grew back in. He also developed a problem with his air bladder and would never have been able to swim right side up or go very far below the surface. I'm glad he isn't hurting anymore, but I miss the little fella. I truly do.

It is so amazing that God puts us in the path of the smallest creatures sometimes to teach us things. Rocky reminded me that I needed to fight my fight every single day. He gave me something to hope for and look forward to each morning as I walked in to see him swimming around. I was so proud of him and I believed in him. As he continued to thrive the hope was contagious and I started to once again feel the fight come back. I believed in our cause and found the strength to try again.

Rocky will be missed and I will forever tell people about the little miracle with fins that I was blessed to know. I hope that I can remember the defiance he showed and his will to make it through when things looked their bleakest.

Thank you Rocky.