Saint Clive's Day

[cbtreks]

No, it's not an official church holiday. Today is C. S. Lewis's birthday. (He shares it with Madeleine L'Engle and Louisa May Alcott - there's good company!) C. S. Lewis is my favorite author and I've joked for years that "Saint Clive" is my patron saint. Ideally on November 29, I like to go to an Irish or English pub or restaurant, eat a meal and hoist a glass in Professor Lewis's honor while enjoying lots of talk and laughter with good company. Sadly, I haven't done that in years, but I still think of him on the day. I often wish I could've been a fly on the wall in some of the Inklings gatherings or his lectures and tutorials. I wish I could have heard him laugh. I was very fortunate when I was a freshman in college because my expository writing class focused on Lewis. (My school offered a good two dozen versions of the basic required expos class - two were generic while the rest focused on a particular author or genre. Each freshman got to choose which class he or she wanted. We had a great, smart, eclectic bunch in ours.)

And this year's even better because next week we get "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" in the theater! I had no idea it was being filmed, let alone released this year (I guess I was under a rock or something), until I saw the trailer this summer - it made me cry. Crossing my fingers here - it looks like it I could like it. Everything I've seen makes me think I can expect good things. (Anyone who's ever seen a favorite book turned into a horrible movie knows the hope and trepidation I feel at the same time.)