Homage to St. Lucy

December 13--feast day of St. Lucy.

St. Lucy of Syracuse, a third century Christian martyr who is regarded as the patron saint of--among others--writers.

All of us who string words together--Jurgen Gothe once had cards identifying himself as a "word arranger"--are grateful for St. Lucy's watchfulness and intervention. Writers who labor for years on an idea, writers like Flaubert who spend days searching for le mot juste, writers who collect stacks of publishers' rejection slips, writers who may not even think of themselves as writers but continue to delight their circle of friends with wonderful letters, writers who try to find time for their own work while writing labels for stain removers and speeches for politicians, and, especially, writers whose names may now be forgotten, but whose stories have enriched our lives from the time parents read to us.

St. Lucy, bless them all.