Sue Silverstein sent me this message this morning, she’s conducting her Mobile Classroom from her home: “Hey! Do you think you could send me an under one-minute lunchtime visit video? She can just say hi to the kids? Nothing fancy. It will cheer them up.”

Done (it was nothing fancy, for sure), and I’ll do it every day while the Mobile Classroom is up and running. The message inspired a 1.25-minute video and this selfie, the first I’ve ever taken. Zinnia got the idea.

I’ll get better at it, hopefully. I was a bit nervous, sending off this video to these children. What did I want to say? What would be honest and helpful? I just told them to take care of themselves and their families and teachers.

I told them I needed to stay away for a while, but that they were in my hearts, and the Army Of Good was gathering to send them some technology – laptops – so they could all participate fully in the Mobile Classroom.

I decided to send a different video from the farm every day – the sheep, the barn cats, Zinnia, the donkeys.

I did not say I was struggling to figure out who I am; it’s hard for me to grasp that my best response to the virus is to stay inside and do what work I do online. I’m getting it. But to these students, Zinnia and I have just vanished.

Today, I paused to appreciate the great value of having a dog in your life.

Zinnia, Fate, and Bud mean so much to us right now, as there is so much tension, confusion, and alarm in the world.

Dogs offer a focus. We feed them, walk them, love them care for them, and that pulls us out of ourselves.

Then, they are calming. Loving them pulls us out of ourselves and into a peaceful and loving other realm. They keep us active and grounded, an anchor in a turbulent sea.

They don’t replace humans for me, but they sure add to them. Zinnia has no idea what a selfie is, and I’ve never done one. But she jumped up on the car seat, and looked at me: “what do you need? What do you want me to do?”

When I get tense or uncomfortable, I just reach my hand down. She is always by my side; she licks my hand and wags her tail. It is both comforting and grounding. Bud is always happy to hop into my lap, and Fate loves to put her head on my knee and get her head rubbed.

Their love is pure and dependable; the perfect medicine for a difficult time.