Passing on a passion

Seeing The Fellowship of the Ring with my friends was good. Seeing it with my little sister is what being an older brother is all about.

Brooke, unfortunately, either got sick or became scared and decided she needed to go home, depending on if I believe her or her sister. I think she was sick, she really wanted to stay, and was acting sick even two hours later.

Blair, however, loved the movie. I asked her if it was a long film, and she said "no". She couldn't believe it was three hours. Moments of joy watching her:

Warning: If you haven't yet seen LOTR and either don't know the books or don't want to hear anything, DO NOT READ FURTHER

*When Frodo was about to put on the Ring while hiding from the first Nazgul under the tree, Blair whispered "No no no no no no no!" to no one in particular.
*When Gandalf died, Blair turned to me and asked "Brother, did he die?" When I affirmed this, she said "Oh no, I liked him!"
*The many glances she gave me complete with huge smile of delight
*Her awe of Boromir, fighting with three honking huge arrows in his chest.
*She about jumped out of her chair when Bilbo reached for the Ring in Rivendell
*She was wowed by the Balrog
*After the movie, she said Frodo "Has HUGE eyes!"
*When it was over, she said "That's IT? It's OVER?" When I told her part 2 was coming out next December, she said "I have to wait a whole YEAR to find out what happens? That's not FAIR!" I think she and I will be reading the books together soon.

Sharing something I adore so much with a little eleven year-old who is, in the words of her mother, "Just like her brother" (even more amazing when you consider that strictly speaking she's my cousin) was something I've dreamed of doing for years.

Blair and I have always been close -- I have always been there, and she knows on a level no one else can that I will never betray her and will never lie to her. I "get" her like no one else in the family can, because we're so alike, and she gets me more than the rest do, too. I cherish that, for she's the first person in my family I've ever really /felt/ connected to since I was a kid wishing I could live with my aunt Karla. And as much as I adore our youngest sister, Brooke, Blair was their first and we bonded more (I moved out of the house when Brooke was only two, Blair was five and we'd already bonded).

And now I've shared Tolkien with her. And she's already made me promise she'll come with me next year to The Two Towers.

Frell yeah!