Fall 2021

A message from Cabell “You are helping us light up the world with glimmers. Thank you.”

We are living in a fragile world where nothing is certain – not even whether you will be able to meet with your team in person next week. It is hard to plan under these circumstances and it is hard to feel secure. As we continue to struggle along, I am hearing the word “trigger” more and more often. In short, triggers are environmental cues that cause us to feel imminent danger. Anything – a smell, a sound, a touch - can be a trigger and create a fight, flight, or freeze response. Triggers are unique to each individual, and they can be mild or powerful. You have probably heard of triggers. A new word for me is “glimmers.” A glimmer is the opposite of a trigger. Where a trigger is something that creates a defensive reaction in your nervous system, a glimmer does the opposite – it causes us to feel safe. Like a trigger, it can be anything, a sound, a smell, a touch. Whatever it is, it carries a message to your psyche that says it will all be fine, everything is fine, you are fine. It soothes, relaxes, and lifts us. I am very interested in this glimmer business. Apparently, they are all around and we only need to notice them. Then we can harness them to our use. Tiny sparks of joy.

Little spurts of contentment. Moments of peace. I started looking for glimmers in my life and in the lives of people around me. It turns out that Saint Francis Service Dogs are glimmer factories. They bring jolts of daily laughter, joy, connection, and comfort to their puppy raisers, walkers, sitters, inmates, trainers, and ultimately, their partners. They trail glimmers like a jet stream in their wake. It happens when a Saint Francis Facility Dog walks over and places his big square head gently in a young person’s lap as they tell their story to a judge. It happens when a partner enters a room of strangers and drops a hand on their Saint Francis Service Dog’s back for stability and reassurance. These are beautiful glimmers. Saint Francis Service Dogs are sending us messages in every tiny way we can receive them. They say: I am here, and it will all be fine, everything is fine, you are fine. safely through the pandemic. When we breed our own litters with volunteer whelping families working steadfastly and diligently in relative isolation to bring us the next generation of Saint Francis Service Dogs. When you donate your time, money, and resources to help us place yet another carefully raised, lovingly trained dog with someone in desperate need. You are helping us light up the world with glimmers. This is what you do when you help us. When we build a pavilion so we can keep working

Thank you.

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