My friend Sue Silverstein, the art and theology teacher at Bishop Maginn High School send me this painting she did of Red on a hot and steamy day in Albany.The portrait shows Red lying on his mat in the school’s art room, drinking from the water bowl the students made for him.

“It’s raining and I decided to actually make a little art, which I’ve not done in a very long time. First one is a gift to you guys,” she wrote.

This is a gift that went straight to my heart. For one thing, Red is fading before my eyes, a hard thing to watch in so proud and active a dog.

My daughter Emma was her and was shocked to see Red barely move, he just wagged his tail a bit when he saw here and he  is usually quite excited to see her.

I worry that he is just existing, and only technically living.

I was also very moved by Red’s power, even in decline, to move people and open them up. Sue has told me why she stopped painting, which is not something I can share, but it is quite wonderful that Red has brought her back to her art, just as she has encouraged so many of her students to let their creative spirits out.

Sue caught something very real in Red’s eyes, now shaded by spreading cataracts.

He still has a look that melts hearts and lifts spirits, he is a true spirit dog.

Red has touched so many lives, not only in his work as a therapy dog, but  in his life with us on our farm. People who meet him remember him, talk about him. Sue fell in love with him, and it is inspiring to see her artistic gifts re-emerge.

The creative spark burns brightly in all of us, I believe it to be a gift from God to all human beings. Some get to light it, some won’t or can’t. It certainly lives in Sue.

I feel a strong sense of stewardship about Red, I am his steward, charged morally with speaking for him and making sure he doesn’t suffer. The spark in him is going out, and every day I watch him closely to see if he is getting meaning out of his life.

At the risk of being self-important, my sense of Red is that he is happy as long as he is with me, and while I bring him to fewer and fewer places,  I can often make him happy in that way.

He is sleeping at my feet, his head resting on my shoes. Thanks, Sue, this has special meaning for me, you are such a good friend to have.

(Check out the Bishop Maginn High School Wish List For School Supplies and other essentials. You can help this wonderful school for as little as $6 or a $10 gift card.)