By Kathy Craigo Harteis
Nearly 30 years ago I was an aspiring writer. Doug Lory was an aspiring actor.
Ken Hendricks was an aspiring filmmaker.
Call it what you will. I prefer to call it a God thing that brought us all together.
I wanted to write, Doug wanted act and Ken wanted to make movies.
Ken was a native North Dakotan so he wanted his movie to highlight our state’s wonder and beauty.
A group of New York actors and North Dakota actors were assembled to make ‘Dakota SunRise’. A fledgling writer signed on s the film’s public relations agent.
North Dakota’s own Native American flutist and traditional storyteller Keith Bear brought to the production the Native culture for which Ken was looking.
While the movie ended up on a shelf somewhere, the bonds of friendship it created was its real success.
Doug, Keith and I became family. It’s a family bond that has lasted these many years.
This past week, Doug returned to North Dakota to perform a his one-man show ‘Merton and Me a Living Trilogy’.
The production was wonderful.
Doug brought with him his wife Alex and stepson Tom so that he could introduce to them the people and the place he fell in love with so many years ago.
In turn we fell in love with them.
I am so very proud of the spiritual man Doug has become.
I knew a 25-year-old boy who didn’t know how to shape a cowboy hat or ride a horse.
A young man wearing the now shaped hat returned to us. A writer, actor and NYC tour guide returned to us .
Keith shared powwow with the family. This New York City family were in awe of the event and of the magic that is Keith.
By the end of our visit we were assured that although the movie didn’t make us famous it did launch our future careers. Most importantly it gave to us each other. It was meant to give us the gift of each other for a lifetime. We are thankful.
Life is good today.
