Where comfort blooms

“My beloved service dog, Daisy, had always accompanied me on my travels to ease my panic attacks. She had become my heart, my soul, my calm, my friend… and my entire world had shattered when I lost her to a heart ailment last year.

“A few weeks after I laid Daisy to rest, I had to take a train to see my sister in Vermont. While waiting with sweating hands on the platform, I noticed a woman at a small table nearby selling picture postcards.

“I walked over and offered a feeble hello, glancing at the cards as I tried to distract myself from the anxiety coiling in my stomach. She watched quietly, then shuffled through a stack, handing me a colorful postcard.

“‘This one is for you,’ she said with a kind smile. ‘Take it, no charge.’ I took the postcard and my breath caught when I saw what the photo on the front: a small dog sitting in a field of daisies.

“I fought back tears as I held it in my hands. I wanted to ask how she knew. Why she would choose this one and be kind enough to just give it to me. Instead, all

I could do was hug the sweet gift to my heart.

“‘Thank you,’ I said as she smiled back. ‘This means more than you could ever know.’

“All the way up to

Vermont, I stayed calm by relishing the scenery out the window, looking at my ‘Daisy’ postcard and taking comfort in the kindness of special hearts.”

—Sara Evans, 44, Boston