Yesterday, I thought about Witness Uganda (Invisible Thread) and what the creators told my students last year about service.

Matt and Griffin told my eighth graders that, to make a difference, “turn to the person next to you and ask, ‘What do you need?'”

For the past six weeks, I’ve been wallowing in my own stuff and wondering if The Beatles were wrong.  What if love isn’t the answer?  What if you can’t love someone enough to make everything okay?

Last night, my neighbor messaged me.  Her daughter’s guinea pig was sick. Touca was not eating.  He was not drinking. She needed a way to transport him to Draper in the morning so a specialist could see him.

I suggested giving him ice cubes for hydration. He was bundled up in front of the fire.

At 6:00 am, I messaged.

She replied, “I just got up.  He’s dead.”

I offered to get him or let him stay at my house during the day. But, they stayed home and cried.

After school, we buried him in my yard.

The art teacher gave me wood to make a marker.

Together, we dug a hole, wrapped Touca in a towel and placed him in the whiskey barrel. Then, we covered him with a rose bush.  We scooped up leaves to keep it from freezing.

Ava chose some of my crystal hearts to set next to him.

Touca is safe.  He’s in our hearts.

And, I feel better for having done something right.

It turns out that “love is all you need.”