I met Bilbo Baggins when I was thirteen years old, standing in the hallway of DeRidder Junior High. The library door carried a poster that stopped me in my tracks. A curious, round fellow stood in his front doorway, pipe in hand, sending smoke rings lazily into the air. The art looked like watercolor washedContinueContinue reading “The Hobbit That First Opened My Door to Middle-earth — Celebrating the 48-Year Legacy of Rankin/Bass’ Hobbit”
Tag Archives: personal-reflection
Observing an Anniversary: Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings (1978)
I first stepped into Tolkien’s world through a boxed set of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings sometime in the mid-70s. Taking on the larger-in-scope-and-theme Lord of the Rings was daunting, but I made it through and was captivated by the characters and the story. Today I’m marking the 47th anniversary of a film that left a mark onContinueContinue reading “Observing an Anniversary: Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings (1978)”
Egg Sandwiches, Elementary School, and Timeless Memories
There was a time when joy came in the form of an egg sandwich. My friend Alan used to bring them to school, still warm from his mother’s kitchen, wrapped with care inside a reused plastic bread bag. When he peeled it open, the smell hit first: that mix of fried egg, hot oil, andContinueContinue reading “Egg Sandwiches, Elementary School, and Timeless Memories”
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
On a cold November night fifty years ago, a massive freighter vanished beneath the waves of Lake Superior. Gordon Lightfoot’s haunting ballad captures the storm, the ship, and the 29 men lost on this day in 1975: an enduring story of courage, nature’s power, and memory that refuses to fade. August of 1976 I wasContinueContinue reading “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”
November 9: Reflections on Orphans, Widows, and Tolkien
My editorial calendar is getting busy. November 9 reminds me that care and legacy come in many forms. They show up in quiet acts of compassion. They show up in stories passed down and letters and tales that shape hearts across generations. There is a quiet weight to loss that does not always get noticed.ContinueContinue reading “November 9: Reflections on Orphans, Widows, and Tolkien”
Veni. Vidi. Scripsi. 