When Red was so sick just a week or so ago, I was worried that he might be dying, and I got a very clear signal from him that he was not dying,  he was eager to get back to work, and he has a lot of work left to do. I had the feeling he was telling me the same thing, that we have a lot of work to do together.

Red seems to have come into my life to open me up, and show me how to do good and be a better human being. To grasp the nature of empathy and show me the path to a richer kind of humanity. He has great powers to comfort and uplift people. The RISSE soccer team came to the farm this weekend and they almost all begged me to bring Red to their next soccer game, and to all of their soccer games.

I don’t know if all of that is possible, Red is much in demand these days. But he did make a powerful connection with these very beautiful people, who come from everywhere, and I am hoping we can join them on Thursday. They believe Red will bring them luck and inspiration, and I told them this is quite possible, I have seen him do it many times, to others, and to me.

Some of the kids asked if Fate could come also, but I laughed and said, no, the chaos dog is not ready for soccer.

So a new chapter for Red, a new chapter for me, and my experimentation with a new way of living. Difficult times bring challenge, they often bring community, connection and draw out our better angels.

I was moved deeply by seeing the English city of Manchester come together so powerfully and beautifully this weekend after the awful tragedy that befell them. Their suffering is not being exploited by politicians to further hate and disconnection. Thousands of young people are getting their bee tattoos and people everywhere are raising money to support the victims and their families.

The mayor of Manchester says the city has emerge stronger and better than ever, their values have been reaffirmed, not diminished.  The people who did this, he said, have failed in a profound way to dehumanize and divide them. I hope and pray we will do as well.

In a very different way – I have suffered no tragedy like that one – our own difficult times have somehow made me stronger, and challenged me to understand my own values, and to join a different kind of Army, an Army of Good.

It feels good just to write this words, we have already done more good than I might have imagined in such a short time. But this is work that is never done, I see.

The challenge of a meaningful life is not how to avoid suffering, but how to respond to suffering with grace and empathy.

Red is at the center of this feeling for me, he reveals the power of animals to heal us and lift us up, to make us better and to comfort us. Wherever he goes, people feel the better parts of the human spirit. You can put too much on a dog, or you can put too little.

I told the kids from the RISSE refugee soccer team we will see them on Thursday. Red will be there.