“Happy Birthday” to my Aunt Jan in Ohio. She’s shown between her two older brothers in the photo below taken a couple of years ago at my dad’s 70th birthday bash:
Incidentally, all of the above are born in the same month — November — as is my husband and my daughter-in-law. I’ve blogged about this before. Here’s a photo from their early days (circa 1953):
I have many fond memories of my Aunt Jan. I remembering spending a summer or part of a summer with my grandparents (her mother and father) in St. Paul, Minnesota, when I was about six (circa 1970) and Jan was still in college (she was probably about 20).
I remember distinctly going to school or work with her and learning how to paint using a straw. Jan always came up with the best party favors and birthday party games. Another summer, we traveled to Ohio to visit Jan and her family and that’s where I first heard Abbott & Costello’s famous “Who’s on First” routine.
I wish her the best today and hope she has a relaxing and well-deserved day of joy and peace.
Happy Birthday Aunt Jan!
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Tor.com has a nice writeup about C.S. Lewis.
Lewis was a member of one of the most famous literary societies of the 20th century, The Inklings, whose members would gather to read their works aloud for critique. His close friend, and one of the people who convinced him to convert to Christianity, was JRR Tolkien.
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Obviously Lewis’ greatest legacy is the Chronicles of Narnia, in which Lewis synthesized his love of Irish lore, Greek mythology, and Christian allegory into a 7-book epic published between 1950 and 1956. Narnia’s kingdoms function similarly to old Celtic society, creatures like fauns and nymphs mix with talking horses and the occasional witch, and spiritual guidance comes from a rampant Lion. In the midst of that are smaller stories about a family’s response to World War II, sibling rivalries, and the moral choices of children. It has been hugely influential since, as has his other large work, the Space Trilogy, which combined mythology and science fiction to examine morality. But his greatest impact can be felt each time a child looks into a wardrobe with a little more wonder than necessary.
“C.S. Lewis: Moral Fantasist” by Leah Schnelbach at Tor.com
