"Follow the yellow brick road..."

Last week, Karl Slover, one of the last surviving actors who played Munchkins in the 1939 classic film, "The Wizard of Oz," died at the age of 93. Slover, 4-foot-5, was one of the tiniest male Munchkins and appeared at Wizard of Oz festivals around the country. Only 3 remain of the 124 actors who played Munchkins in the movie.

Sigh. Yet more people from my childhood, passing on...

Like many Baby Boomers, "The Wizard of Oz" was a huge influence in my life and is still one of my favorite movies. Since there were no DVD players back then, (or cable for that matter) we had to wait once a year until one of the networks would play it. It was a big event. As a child, I would love the adrenaline of the tornado in the beginning or the sight of the green wicked witch with her evilness. I still have a penchant for hourglasses, when Dorothy was under duress, and the concept of time hit me for the first time as a child, seeing the sands passing through quickly. There was so much of that movie that is a metaphor for life... Personally I still see myself as Dorothy following the yellow brick road of life, trying to get to Oz.

So tonight I just want to pause and mark the passing of one of the last Munchkins.

And the sands through the hourglass are piling higher and higher...