This is by far my favorite neighbor in Spitak maybe even my favorite neighbor ever! Every day around 5 I go and sit outside and read while Sophie runs around causing problems and having adventures. My neighbor always comes and sits right by me. We don’t talk so much, but I think she feels that I am alone and should have company. She doesn’t ask me nosey questions about my life and when I am going to get married. She doesn’t complain about me, or come knock on the door to tell me I am doing my laundry the wrong way. She simply sits by me and relaxes.
She also happens to be Sophie’s favorite person in Spitak!!! Sophie loves her so much, every time she sees her she comes sprinting down the hill and jumps all over her. Most Armenians would probably kick Sophie if she jumped on them, but not this neighbor, she simply says Sophie incha, incha. Mernem kez. Sophie what, what, I die for you!! It’s so cute to watch them together!! She always brings bread for Sophie to eat and even comes to tell me when she thinks Sophie is thirsty and needs some water!
When other neighbors get angry at Sophie or scared of her, she defends her. She even told a group of kids who would come to sit with me but were afraid of Sophie not to come anymore. She told them that 5 is Sophie’s time to be outside and if they are scared and are going to cause problems they need to go play somewhere else!!
I am very lucky to have such a kind person in my building, because mostly I feel that my neighbors hate having me here.
I am glad to hear the books arrived to your school finely. Take note that those are not new books but are used library discard books however since most are library edition books it means that they are strongly made to stand ravages of time and children's pulling fingers. Children books are harder to get then ship them to Armenia than books for grown up. And this was one poor old man's job (I mean the part of collecting them and boxing them for shipment) because of my love for Armenian children and concern for their education. I hope you will get more donations of books to your children's library and this time they will be brand new and recent editions, also I hope your students will like and enjoy the books, just let me know about their feedbacks. And I hope you also like my many comments in your blog, apparently you do since you do not delete them. Take care and say hello from me to Sophie & your favorite mamig neighbor! Papik
ReplyDeleteREAL STORY: What to expect when a child and her dog have an inseparable bond that is based on real love!
ReplyDeleteRidgefield, WA, Aug. 17.
Tom and Marie Morgan, their 6-year-old daughter Taylor and dog, Maggie were simply taking a walk near the Lewis River. Taylor picked up a rock and ran toward the river to throw it.
The normally placid lazy river was moving at the speed of rapids. No issue - except that when Taylor went to toss the rock into the river, she lost her balance and fell in. Immediately, the current began to take her away, as reported at the Morton Report.
Tom said that he watched in horror as the waters swept his daughter away. In an interview with the The Morton Report he said, “I couldn’t keep up with her, the water was too quick. I was running as fast as I could along the edge when Maggie bolted past me for about 30 yards and then leaped into the river. I lost sight of both of them for a second and then I saw Maggie with Taylor’s jacket collar in her mouth trying to swim towards the bank. The river took them down about another hundred yards before Maggie was able to reach the bank. Even though they went under a few times she didn’t let go once. If it hadn’t been for Maggie, we would have lost our daughter.”
As unbelievable as that may seem, the Morgans were not the only witnesses to the incredible rescue. An eyewitness was jogging by, “The dog sprinted and jumped about 12 feet out into the river just in front of the child. They both went under and when they came up the dog had her jacket in its mouth and was dragging her to the bank. The dad ran into the water’s edge and grabbed the other side of the child’s jacket and they both dragged her up onto the grass. I have never seen anything like it.”
Adding to the story, incredibly, this wasn't the first time Maggie played Lassie. About two years ago she rushed into the house, breaking the screen, barking as if she had gone crazy. The Taylor's followed their panicked dog to find their daughter lying on the grass, having trouble breathing. She had been stung on the neck and is highly allergic to bees.
I you don't think an adopted dog bonds well to the family, think again. Maggie is adopted. Tom explained, “We visited an animal shelter and were walking down a row of cages and all the other dogs were either barking or running around but one was just sitting quietly in the middle of its cage as if waiting and Taylor stopped and said, 'Hello Maggie, we’re taking you home.”
The police department has nominated Maggie for a Commendation of Bravery award, but this is where her story takes a sad turn. Maggie may not be alive to receive it.
“We found out last month that Maggie has been diagnosed with Hemangiosacrcoma (a highly malignant cancer which preys on blood vessels) and will not be with us in a few months," said Tom. "We haven’t told Taylor yet as she will be devastated. It will be the hardest thing we have ever had to do. The two have an inseparable bond that is based on real love. We owe our daughter’s life to her.”
http://www.chicagonow.com/steve-dales-pet-world/2011/08/dog-saves-six-year-old/
Thanks for the ideas and information you provide, it really helped me in doing my job.
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