George and Winona (miracles happen)

It seems my life is full of things I never imagined would and could happen but did and getting fishes for pets is one of them. Here’s a simple I lesson I’ve learned from George and Winona (my goldfishes) after only a few weeks having them

I was just starting to enjoy feeding them, talking to them before I sleep and watching them chase each other in their own little fishbowl world when one morning Winona started sinking at the bottom of the bowl on one side. Several times, she tried to swim up but failed and sank head first towards the pebbles. It didn’t look good.

We suspected it was the water (it was so murky at that time) and I had Winona removed from the bowl, if she was sick I didn’t want George to catch what she had. Dad went to a pet shop not so far from us and bought a solution called “Eliminator” which will remove chlorine from the tap water and all other chemicals that might be harming the fishes. In the meantime, we put Winona in another water container half filled.

Even though we’ve squeezed a few drops of the ‘eliminator’ in the water, the poor thing just sank at the bottom on one side; she was breathing but looked paralyzed. It was frustrating. Nothing much you can do to a fishy that’s dying. Mom at one time almost gave her a ‘mouth to mouth’, literally picking her up from the water and blew on her face (that was really silly because I learned after that fishes can get shocked from mere human touch – take note of that). So we’ve all given up and went about our day expecting Winona dead by evening. I read that fishes, when sick, usually dies in 24 hours.

I googled for answers online and by this time, I was on the brink of tears already. “This is why I don’t want pets anymore, they just die on me!” I thought. “This is why I don’t like getting attached because I don’t do well with parting. A problem I have that’s deeper than the ‘fish-dying’ issue.

Late in the afternoon, I went to check on the little Winona and to my surprise, she wasn’t lying on her side anymore, her color was back, although from time to time she would slowly fall back on one side, she’d get right back up. My fish survived her ordeal and she lived.

NOTE: Things may look dim and hopeless at times but nothing is impossible. Miracles still happen. (Romans 8:28)

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.