"If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."- James Herriot"Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears, but laugh and talk of me as if I were beside you. I loved you so- 'and so it is in heaven I wait for you."- Isla Paschal Richardson"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal."- Irish HeadstoneWhen we first adopted Millie, there was a sense of excitement, fear, love, and empathy. Excitement because we were attempting to become parrot parents. Fear simply because we were starting with a large enough bird that our fingers or other vital parts could be lopped off.Love was present because we had made the choice to adopt a living creature into our family unit, and empathy was felt because she now had two parents and a home, rather than a noisy pet shop and an uncaring pet shop owner that didn't know the first thing about umbrella cockatoos.