My Friend Anne

I don't normally like PBS pledge drives. I mean, I understand why it is necessary for them to have pledge drives, but they still bother me. They interrupt the shows I like to watch, such as Little House on the Prairie and This Old House, and replace them with specials of Irish dancers and violinist concerts - boring! So when I noticed the people on tv, talking about how valuable PBS is, I cringed. But the pledge drive that is currently going on has been A-okay in my book because they have been showing the Anne of Green Gables movies. I love Anne Shirley. I remember when I got the Anne of Green Gables 2 tape set for Christmas, I was probably 9 or 10 years old. I watched the whole thing that day and immediately had to go to the PX and get the Anne of Avonlea set. I had to know what happened, did she end up with Gilbert. Well, of course I knew she did, but how?

I like the books too but this is one series where I think the movies are almost better. They changed the story a bit but the main characters are the same and they are so real to me. I cry every time Mathew dies and I really think he might be my absolute favorite fictional character. I know it is coming but when he falls down and tells Anne that he never really wanted a boy, he only wanted her from the very beginning, I just begin to sob. Craig was on the computer with his headphones on but he looked over and I was laughing and happy then two minutes later he looked over and tears were streaming down my face and if he didn't know me so well, he probably would have though I was insane. And when Gilbert is so sick and tells Anne that there will never been anyone for him but her, my heart melts. The thing I love the most is that Anne could do anything and when I see that, it makes me feel like I could do anything. But in the end, she knows what is really important, and I hope that I do too. Oh, it's so good.

Monday was Anne of Green Gables and Tuesday they showed what they called the Anne of Green Gables: the sequel but what every self-respecting Anne fan knows is really called Anne of Avonlea. Tonight they showed the new one but I just couldn't watch. It's all weird and different and just makes me sad. I tried for a few minutes but I couldn't let anything taint my wonderful Anne memories. When I think about having kids, I mostly want boys. Probably because I had two brothers and was quite a tomboy myself, but I really hope I have at least one girl because there are things I would like to share with her and Anne of Green Gables is one of those things.