Save Martha! For Martha Stewart fans

Excerpts from John Small's upcoming book, Saving Martha...

When a man I loved was found guilty of a misdemeanor
crime several years ago, I didn't know what to do. I
was beside myself with worry as the sentencing date
bounced from month to month - the course of his life
hanging in the balance as we waited for word.

Finally that time came and in a few quick words from
the judge he was sent to jail for six months in a
provincial prison here in Ontario, Canada. He lost his
job. His family didn't know how to react. And I had to
step in and take charge of his life to keep some
semblance of security and balance in tact. It drained
me of energy. It drained me of strength and faith and
hope.

I spoke to him every day on the phone, accumulating
thousands of dollars in long-distance phone bills,
which I paid for the sake of this man's sanity as he
sat in total boredom, day after day, for a crime he
had allegedly committed 18 years ago. This was
injustice, my friends.

But our persistence strengthened us, held us together,
kept us both sane in an otherwise insane ordeal.

And then it passed. And there was joy again after a
long struggle to rebuild what had been lost.

I offer this glimpse into my personal past (and it is
only just a glimpse at a magnitude of emotion and
trauma he and I experienced in that time) because I
want to convey to you the reason I help John Small
with this site every day.

I help him because I have been in the shoes of Alexis
Stewart. I have been in the shoes of a person who
feels helpless as they watch someone they love endure
month after month of finger-pointing, villification,
humiliation and embarrassment - a person you love,
accused of criminal activity when the facts in the
case are either so murky or so trivial that you wonder
why the world allows this to happen. You watch them,
helpless, as they lose money, respect, friends and
colleagues. And it breaks your heart.

My faith in justice wained terribly during that year
of turmoil and disbelief in our lives. My cynicism
grew to magnificent proportions.

When I first heard news of the Martha Stewart
investigation, which ironically broke as the sentence
of the man I loved was coming to an end, I knew I had
to be there for her. I intrinsically understood what
she and her family were going through - because I had
been there myself.

Martha's magazines and show had helped to ground me
during my difficult struggle and brought welcome
beauty to my life. I had to repay her somehow for the
light she brought to my life when life seemed so dark.

In a state of helplessness in my own life, I wrote to
John and offered to help him for free because I wanted
to lend my voice to the cause of his site, lending my
insight and strength regarding something that reeked
of injustice and unfairness right from the start. John
agreed and today, over a year later, I am a staff
member and we enjoy a great working relationship full
of productive ideas.

I used the anger I had felt in my own set of
injustices to defend a person who had not yet been
charged but was being treated like a criminal all the
same, hoping that it would make a difference, praying
that people would understand.

I think you have understood brilliantly as the success
of this site and its creator have demonstrated. You
yourselves have proven so unwavering and kind, which I
thank you for.

And now, friends and readers, it is time to understand
that Martha and her family face a tremendous obstacle
- one that will test the resolve of her company, its
shareholders, its employees and its admirers.

It's time for us to be stronger than we've ever been -
to not give up on Martha or her company. We are its
lifeforce, its breath, its heartbeat. Martha is its
vision. We cannot let this magnificent empire die a
slow death.

Please read John Small's five-step program to help
save Martha and her corporation.

Please understand that bad things happen to good
people all the time and that Martha will survive. She
is a survivor unlike any I have known so don't give up
hope, no matter what happens.

And please understand that I am here - and will always
be here - because I know what it's like to see someone
you love mired by the law, to see them tested at every
turn, taken to the breaking point only to emerge
stronger.

I am here because I have faith that Martha can grow
and build from here, no matter how dark these times
may appear.

Always remember - Martha's work is the greatest
reflection of her soul. And her work, my friends, is
so very, very excellent.

Also, visit The Pantry each month for a closer look at the cover subject of Martha Stewart Living Magazine with insightful articles that broaden the scope of the cover topic, written by Andrew Ritchie