Terry Pratchett, who recently passed away, was one of my favorite authors. He was one of the few who could make me laugh out loud when I was reading, to the point I had to put the book down for a minute just to laugh.( in addition to the numerous  small chuckles and low level laughing which only required me to stop reading for a few seconds) I loved his absurd satirical humor, as well as his deep wisdom and understanding about Life and Death, and amidst  the humor I learned a great deal about everything from reading his books.

I loved his characters, especially the witches, who were portrayed as healers, the midwives, the seers, the counselors whose job it was to tend to the needs of those around them. He made fun of those who thought the most important thing was how big your pointy hat was, how much occult jewelry you wore or the splendor of your star studded velvet robes. He said the true craft wasnt sensational or showy but a real ,vital and ultimately humble occupation. Not that his characters were saints, far from it. They were were full of human faults, egos and ridiculous idiosyncrasy, but that made them all the more loveable and authentic.

I loved Hat Full of Sky, The Wee Free Men and Wintersmith ,in particular , the latter of which has some of the most hilarious Witch characters I ve ever encountered.  Most recently I just read  I Shall Wear Midnight, which was a beautiful and amazing conclusion to the Tiffany series, co authored by his wife, Lyn.

Terry’s brilliant humor and insight made his books healing tools in of themselves , for you felt were a better person for having read them,and for experiencing his unique (wacky) world view. I would heartily recommend them to anyone who (thinks they have)  lost the ability to laugh .

He was knighted in honor of his work and became” Sir Terry”, and Im so glad that  he received this recognition during his lifetime. I would say  that we are going to miss him but I know his spirit lives on through his remarkable words captured in time.