#RIPR2

Summer of '77, I spent a week at Pilgrim Haven - our church's camp over near South Haven, MI. My mom & brother came to pick me up on the Saturday & could not stop raving about this fantastic movie they'd seen. It was so good I had to see it. That day. We stopped at Meijer for a paper to check the show time & she bought us t-shirts to wear to the theatre.  I hadn't a clue what they were talking about & chose a yellow one with this image because I thought the droids were fun or cute or some other pigtailed preteen nonsensical reason.
Well, of course, it was the original "Star Wars".
We changed in the car driving to the Bijou & waited in line. As the show before us let out, people leaving pointed & cheered at our shirts - a mixed bag of emotion when you're a 12 year old girl, but all good vibes coming towards us.
Over the next year we saw it in the theatre 6 times, including a double feature at a drive in (probably Homer) with "Clash of the Titans". Unprecedented for our family, that kind of viewing.  And we were frequent movie goers.
There's tons of people who love Star Wars & lots of them know more than me & are big collectors & whatever. But that experience was so amazing & special. There's no explaining to people that feeling of how movies changed that summer. How the world was just a bit different. You can tell them but they can't feel that emotion.
It's fun to goof on it a bit now but I'll always have a soft spot for the droids because of that shirt and that day.
So thanks, Kenny Baker. You were in some great films (Mona Lisa. The Elephant Man. Time Bandits!!! ) and you made millions of people so very happy.
A real true genuine legend.
#RIPR2