Charlotte's web

"It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both." --E.B. White, the last line of Charlotte's Web.

I think from the first time we read Charlotte's Web, we think about it as a story of friendship. But given this last line, would it pay off to start from the beginning and think about it, too, as a story about the power of storytelling to make things happen?

The community came to view Wilbur the way they did through the words Charlotte chose to describe him.

Did Charlotte, by granting Wilbur the self-confidence that someone believed in him, and giving him a goal to strive towards, also actually turn him into someone who could accurately be described in the words she wrote?

Does calling someone's attention to a quality they possess - nascent though it may be - inspire them to cultivate it?

Acrostic

When people make a donation to the surgical fund at our vet clinic, they are given the opportunity to make a dedication on a 3" x 1" plaque. There is a corner of the vet clinic set aside these plaques. It is very affecting to read the dedications and think about how much love is behind those words.

As I had mentioned to some of you before, I was pretty blocked on what to write. How do you sum up anyone in just a few words? Ultimately, I decided that if I gave myself a framework in which to work, it might come together a little easier.

I chose the acrostic form, and came up with a draft. I asked DH for suggestions, telling him a few ideas I thought we might want to include. He suggested that we substitute "noble" for my original "nimble." Here is the final result:

Funny, impish, nosy, noble,
eloquent, gorgeous, adored.
Never-forgotten.
Finnegan (1992-2008)

Eisa goes in to see the vet at the end of this coming week, so we'll take the paperwork in at that point.