August 1: Fair Grounds, Respite, Fairy Tale Vacation

"I shall go, too," she said, softly.  " I have decided to go with Wilbur.  He may need me.  We can't tell what may happen at the Fair Grounds.  Somebody's got to go along who knows how to write.  And I think Templeton better come, too--I might need somebody to run errands and do general work."

Charlotte and Wilbur go to the Fair in late summer, when August is in full swing and autumn is just around the corner.  The kids go to ride the rides, play the games.  The adults go to win blue ribbons and see new farm equipment.  It's a respite from everyday life for everyone.  And Charlotte goes to make sure her friend's life is saved.


I am officially on vacation, as of 5 p.m. this evening.  I'm free of time obligations for a little while.  I don't have to wake up in the morning to an alarm clock.  I can stay up as late as I want, which I usually do anyway, but I will be able to take a nap if I'm tired the next day.  I'm going to read a book I've been dying to read.  Like the Zuckermans and Arables, I'm on a respite from my day-to-day existence.

I'm sitting in my living room, watching Midnight in Paris, typing this blog post.  I can feel exhaustion pushing into my body.  But I'm unwilling to let this first night of freedom end so soon.  I want to sustain it.  Relish it.

Once upon a time, a hedgehog named Clinton decided to take a break from hedgehog things and go on a trip to the Atlantic Ocean.  Clinton had always wanted to see the big blue, as his mother called it.  His mother was a New Hampshire hedgehog who migrated with her family to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Clinton packed his hedgehog things and started walking down the highway.  He met a skunk named Clifford and a porcupine named Stella.  Clifford and Stella had never seen the Atlantic Ocean, either, so they decided to join Clinton on his vacation.

The road was busy with trucks and cars, roaring along at killing speeds.  Clinton warned Clifford and Stella to stay in the long grass, away from the asphalt.  "D-d-don't go n-n-near those b-b-big metal animals up th-th-there," he told them.  "Th-th-they will eat you a-a-alive."

One morning, Clifford and Stella woke up early and decided to go for a morning walk.  When Clinton woke up, he didn't see his friends anywhere.  He went looking for them.  He found them two miles down the road, dead.  Road kill.

Clifford sat by his friends, crying hedgehog tears.  A semi truck from Walmart came by, swerved unexpectedly, and flattened Clifford.  Clifford never made it to the Atlantic Ocean.

Moral of the story:  don't go on vacation with a hedgehog.

And Saint Marty lived happily ever after.

Always follow the hedgehog's advice

January 29: Not Out of the Woods, Fair Grounds, Prayer for Sister

So my sister in Utah is not out of the woods yet.  She went to a doctor's appointment this afternoon and had to be transported from there to the hospital by ambulance.  Her oxygen levels were very low, which may indicate that her infection has spread to her lungs.

My other sister called to tell me the news at work this afternoon.  It really bothered me.  My coworker, who's one of my best friends, asked me, "How're you doing?"  I shrugged.  She said, "Have you made peace with your sister yet?"  It was a question that carried a certain finality about it, as if I only had a little time left to mend my relationship with my sister.

My sister's condition is very serious.  Possibly life-threatening.  I guess I wasn't admitting how serious it actually was.  I'm still not at the point where I think my sister could pull a Steel Magnolias on me.  I can't get there in my head.  It would feel too much like giving up.

Charlotte doesn't give up on Wilbur, either.  Even though she knows the end is near for her life, she decides to go to the County Fair with him:

"I shall go, too," she said softly.  "I have decided to go with Wilbur.  He may need me.  We can't tell what may happen at the Fair Grounds.  Somebody's got to go along who knows how to write..."  

I know nothing is guaranteed, but I have to believe that I still have time to get to the County Fair with my sister.  I'm just not sure who's Wilbur and who's Charlotte in our situation.  Who needs to be saved and who needs to do the saving.

Dear God of the County Fair,

My sister needs Your help again.  Or still.  I'm asking You to give us more time.  Put some healing in her life.  For her kids.  They need her.  And I need more time to find forgiveness and love in my heart.  She can be a blue ribbon person.  I know that.

Keep her in the Fair a little bit longer.  Her life deserves to be saved.

Your loving servant,

Saint Marty

Not ready for this yet