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The pundits tell us the only sure thing in life is that we must all die. Whether you believe in an afterlife or not, the herelife eventually ends. If you've read other articles, the thought of our own lives ending is always touted as 'a difficult subject.'

I don't think it's the ending of our own lives that is so difficult a problem, so much as it's the endings we have to witness throughout our lives. We watch helplessly as our parents, sometimes our siblings, and tragically, our children, are whisked from this life, always before we are ready to bid them farewell.

Then there are those left behind. Are they ready to deal with life after we're gone? We try our best to prepare our children for life's foibles; the roller coaster ride of ecstasies and pain interspersed with blessed normalcy. And they, our human issue, our sisters and brothers, perhaps our parents, have an anthropological support system of a world geared toward humanity as the top of the food chain.

But what of those non-human beings we leave behind? As a person with parrot companions, you would expect that this is a subject upon which I've had many an internal discussion. Being now in my forties, it's very possible that several of my flock will outlive me. What recourse do I have to ensure that they remain secure, happy and loved? Of course, there are no guarantees. No matter what preparations we make about the care of our companions after our deaths, there is no guarantee that what we expect to occur in their avian lives will be the actual outcome.

We know that sanctuaries exist in which parrots are ostensibly kept until they release their mortal coil. I ask myself, though, can a parrot raised as a beloved companion to a human be content with less human interaction and more avian companionship? I'd have to look at each member of my flock for some semblance of a logical answer. The macaws, the amazon, pionus and conure; they are independent souls. They do relish their person's attention, but they are not so needy as some other feathered creatures. And, so, that brings me to my sweet, demanding, umbrella cockatoo. Yes, this is the 'difficult subject' that haunts me when it comes to confronting my own mortality. How can this beautiful, trusting, cuddly mass of white, feathery adoration stand the separation?

I had only to look at the denizens of the local parrot sanctuary. There are a multitude of cockatoos in residence there. They are the plucked, the abused, the abandoned, the ones left behind when their beloved human left the earth. And they are content, they are acting like BIRDS; members of a flock with which they can truly communicate. So though I still fret over the happiness of my flock after I am gone, I know that there are options for them that while not actually guaranteeing their contentment, will provide them the opportunity to experience a life far less tragic than my active imagination can conjure.

While parrot sanctuaries are an option for the care of one's beloved parrot companion, it's certainly not the only one. I know of owners who have carefully groomed their children or grandchildren to care for their pets after their deaths. I find it comforting to think that my parrots can still be cherished members of my family, albeit without my presence in their lives. Will it be a comfort to my relatives, hearing my Orange Wing Amazon chortling with my silly giggle? It's a piece of me that won't soon be forgotten, and certainly a happy sound by which to be remembered.

Take some time to think about your parrots' lives after you're gone. I know it's not easy, but with research, intuition and love, you can make the decisions now that will best serve your avian charges in the future.

Copyright 2002 by Tequila Sepulveda. Used with permission. All rights reserved.