A beautiful, tiny, one-day old baby chick named Lillium taught so much about suffering in her time with us. She arrived at 9:15 am on May 31, 2023, and she passed away by 6:30am the next day.
We got 7 one-day old baby chicks, and they are all so precious and cute. Baby chicks are so fast and curious, but not Lillium. I noticed she had a dark lump on her underside and that she wasn’t running around with the other chicks. I immediately felt like something wasn’t right.
We tried bathing her underside in case her lump was hardened droppings, but it wasn’t. It was a growth, and it seemed to be making her quite sick. I usually worry about babies because they need so much love and support, but my worry for Lillium was really high. I couldn’t handle the idea of such a little, tiny chick suffering.
I prayed for her, sang to her, and checked on her constantly. I researched what her lump could be and made the video at the top of this post to share with the vet to learn if anything could help her. I cried a few times and really witnessed myself feeling very shaken and sad by her very obvious suffering.
Baby Lillium taught me a lot. She taught me that I don’t like to see anyone suffering and that it really stresses me out. She helped me to identify healthy versus unhealthy ways of dealing with her suffering. I even made some connections to how stressed I have been when my immediate family was hurting in any number of ways. She helped me shed light on what was out of my control and helped me take small steps to finding peace when witnessing suffering.
I was still not a rockstar at being with her while she suffered, but I was absorbing the lessons she was teaching me. I am hopeful that I will be able to hold them in my heart when I witness suffering in myself or in others in the future. Thank you sweet Lillium for showing me the depths of my caring and compassion ❤️. Thank you for gracing my life with your sweet presence for a bit less than a day. Thank you for helping me learn to make peace with suffering.
© Bradlee Zrudlo 2023. All Rights Reserved
PhD in Being Me 
Thank you Bradlee for sharing Lillium beautiful life story. Will forever leave an imprint in my heart. As I was reading her journey I have a huge soft spot for animals and suffering. The minute I hear or see them in pain I start to tear up. Things being out of my control and learning to make peace with is a constant vulnerable lesson I work on each day. Making peace with suffering has always been a struggle. Seeing Lillium strength and resilience for a day of life was so beautiful and uplifting. Brings memories back to when my beautiful cat precious was so ill and suffering. Realizing she was trying so hard to fight for her life for me. I felt in my deepest soul and knew I had to let her go. I feel precious is watching over Lillium and will build a loving spiritual bond. Love you Carla xo
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Hi Carla, oh goodness, reading your words brought me a lot of comfort. Thank you for sharing with me, watching an animal suffer is so so hard. Thank you for honoring me and Lillium 💕💕💕. Love lots, Bradlee
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