November 23, 2012: 2:50 am PST

Back in the days when television was relatively new, we could only watch movies when they were "on." Every year at Thanksgiving "they" would put on the movie "The Wizard of Oz." We really looked forward to seeing that movie each year, although we did not realize at the time that it was a movie about transformation and other worlds. At least it was for me.

I recall so clearly how Dorothy, the little girl from Kansas, was swirled out of the black-and-white greyness of her life in Kansas into the bright colorful world of Oz. How they communicated through a "magic mirror".

My favorite part was near the beginning, when Dorothy's house fell on a "wicked witch" and killed her, and Munchkinland rejoiced with tremendous glee. As Dorothy came out of her house, dazed, dizzy and confused, everyone was singing and cheering and dancing with great joy. The "Good Witch of the North", Glenda, asked Dorothy who she was and how she knew to come and help them escape from their servitude. Then Glenda called, "Come out, come out, wherever you are, and meet the young lady who fell from a star.

She fell very fast, she fell very far, and Kansas she says is the name of the star." Dorothy was a bit confused by this, but being a brave and kind spirit, she was happy that the Munchkins were happy, although she felt a bit weird about having killed someone quite by accident and then being acclaimed as a hero for doing it.

Then she and her little dog, Toto, began their amazing journey, which of course included going to see the Wizard of Oz, to find out how Dorothy could go Home. She had to be quite bold in order to get in to see the Wizard, and then one of my favorite transitions occurred:  He announced himself in a puff of smoke behind a screen, and he said "I am the Wizard, Strong and Mighty," or something like that... and Dorothy actually steps forward and says "I Am Dorothy, Small and Meek."