I think it’s time for Zinnia to have a Godmother, a loving presence outside of our family, a generous spirit to help watch over her and guide her through life.
Only one name pops up, that would be Sue Silverstein, my friend, the art and theology teacher at Bishop Maginn High School, and one of Zinnia’s most fervent admirers.
Sue has the kind of generous heart and gentle soul that makes a great role model for human beings and dogs.
Sue has suffered some in her life. But rather than wring her hands and lament about her life, she has channeled that pain into the art of loving and nurturing others. It lifts my heart every time I see her with her students; the warmth and respect between them is something palpable.
I don’t want to beat the Christian drum too loudly, but it is a Catholic school, and if Jesus Christ ever does return, he will seek out Sue and kiss her on her forehead. She is what he meant by calling on his followers to love the poor, the needy, and the vulnerable. She’s the real deal.
Sue loves and cares about every student she teaches; every day, they come back from the outside world to thank her and hug her and talk to her. She knows who needs shoes and who needs a kick in the butt. She and Principal Mike Tolan have been instrumental in supporting my work on behalf of the refugees and other students and teachers at the school.
I thank them for letting me in. She has been counting the days to Zinnia’s arrival and lights up whenever she sees her. She has a bet, toys, and treats for Zinnia whenever she shows up at the school.
She is Zinnia’s first triumph as a therapy dog.
Sue makes so much of what I do possible and has helped me learn how best to help the needy and the vulnerable. This is an honorary title, I suppose, but a way I have of letting her know that I love her and appreciate her work.
Sue never wants anything for herself, only for others. I can’t imagine having a teacher like her. I just might have been normal.
On top of everything else, she has become a great friend to me, to Maria, and of course, to Zinnia.
I have not received emails from you for the past week. Not sure what is happening out there in the universe.
Dorothy the blog has been published every day, and I have no way of knowing what issues you may have with your computer or browser. As far as we know the system is working well. I’ll double-check, but I have had no complaints. I’d remind you that you can access the blog any time manually by going to bedlamfarm.com, we haven’t missed a day. You can also bookmark the blog and check it out every morning, which is what most people do. Thanks for caring..There are any reasons a feed doesn’t work, from our bandwidth to scan folders to old browsers or devices..it isn’t something we can know…I pay for the blog feed and if I request work on e-mails, I am charged for it. You migh consider canceling and re-entering your e-mail subscription… I am sorry you are having this trouble, but I never take a week off on the blog without saying so..