Robert looked at the nearly empty jar of oil wondering how to handle the rest of his afternoon. He could read, but even though the words made dictionary sense, together they conveyed no ideas to him. Earlier in the day his retreating fever allowed him to reply to some emails sent by those concerned about his heath. He kept messing things up with his typing making mistakes he would not have made before this cold.
He could sleep more and he might try that if those feverish dreams would stop telling him weird tales of spinning spirals absorbing the cosmos and begging him to help.
Robert realized he should take death seriously since this could be it and indeed, if it were it, he knew he wouldn’t be ready, because there was no way in his present state he could get near enough oil for his lamp.
Denise offers the word “handle” for this week’s Six Sentence Stories. If the oil and the lamp seem puzzling rather than terrifying think of Matthew 25:1-12 about the wise and foolish virgins and the oil only some of them carried for their lamps.
Poetry, Short Prose and Walking 
Frank,
Better to be prepared before such an hour arrives. Nice retelling of the parable.
pax,
dora
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We don’t know when we will wish we were ready, but can no longer get ready. It is best to be ready at all times. Thank you, Dora!
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Well done, Frank!
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Thank you, Susan!
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Excellent. Mistakenly, we think we have enough time. God controls time. Our job is to be ready. Love this new parable.
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Good point that our job is to be ready.
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Nice one, Frank. Just don’t concentrate tso hard on the preparation that you miss the life that you could be having. 😉
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Being ready is most important. Thank you, Doug!
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Right now, I’m listening to a FB Live session on Death Rituals in the other window. It is more about post-death rituals. You talk about pre-death or pre-imagined death rituals 🙂
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He hasn’t died yet, but he wonders if he still has enough time to become ready which is made difficult with his fever. Thank you, Reena!
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Preparation has its comfort yet one can only prepare so much. We are but human and for as much as we may excel at anticipating (and thus preparing) for an event unknowable, perhaps it best to try and live each day as if the last.
In Doug’s comment lies a key. Here, now, today. “Faith is the substance…”, Frank 🙂
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Good point: it is best to treat each day as if it were our last. Thank you, Denise!
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And, don’t forget, the balloon-like fingers drifting (and missing) the letters on the keyboard!
nicely (and horrifyingly) evoked time of fraying reality.
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It is hard to type in those feverish situations. Thank you, Clark!
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Well done nice retelling
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Thank you!
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We never know when the light will just blink out… A thoughtful piece, Frank.
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It could be at any instant. Thank you, Chris!
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When I was a Boy Scout, our motto was Be Prepared. It’s still my motto today.
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It is a good motto to live by. Thank you, Keith!
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It looks like this week’s cue had us both remembering a certain parable.
Well done!
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It is a good parable to remember. Thank you, Pat!
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Everyone always thought s/he’d have one more day. Today is the day to repent, for it’s the only day we have.
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Good point – today is the only day we have to repent.
The meal for the volunteers in your story sounds tasty.
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Well done with this story, Frank. You did a great job.
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Thank you again, Robbie!
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So many people like Robert that needs to take death and eternity seriously
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We all do. Thank you, Jim!
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👍
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I like this retelling of the parable.
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Thank you!
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