September 9: Attention Please, Good News, Prayer of Thanks

Suddenly a voice was heard on the loud speaker.

"Attention, please!" it said.  "Will Mr. Homer Zuckerman bring his famous pig to the judges' booth in front of the grandstand.  A special award will be made there in twenty minutes.  Everyone is invited to attend.  Crate your pig, please, Mr. Zuckerman, and report to the judges' booth promptly!"

The best things in life come as surprises.  Mr. Zuckerman learns that lesson at the end of the book.  Another pig has taken home the blue ribbon at the Fair.  Failure has settled over the Zuckermans and Arables.  And then, the voice on the loud speaker.

I sat down in my office today to do some school work.  As usual, I checked my university e-mail before I started into the tasks at hand.  In my e-mail was a message with the memo line "Your submission to The MacGuffin."  Here we go, I thought.  Another rejection.

It wasn't a rejection.  Two of my poems were accepted by the poetry editor, and the other three are still under consideration for the Fall 2014 issue of the magazine.  I will admit that I read the message.  Then reread it.  Then reread it again.  Then I stood up in the middle of my office and danced a little bit.

It was a surprise.  And it was wonderful.

Tonight, I send out a little prayer of thanksgiving.  I was feeling tired, maybe a little defeated.  I'm still battling my bronchitis.  Yet, I am happy tonight.  Really happy.

For that, Saint Marty gives thanks.

Oh, yeah.  I've got some moves.