When Christopher Robin Went Away
Every graduation is a departure from the Hundred Acre Wood.
In this deeply reflective Chesterton Radio Deep Dive, we explore the final chapter of The House at Pooh Corner — the unforgettable moment when Christopher Robin and Pooh walk together to the enchanted place at the top of the Forest.
But this is more than a discussion of a beloved children’s book.
For decades, Robert F. Griffin — the legendary Holy Cross priest and voice of Notre Dame’s Children’s Hour on WSND-FM — read this chapter aloud every graduation weekend to departing seniors at University of Notre Dame.
Why did generations of students weep hearing Pooh say:
“Promise you won’t forget about me”?
Why does:
“They don’t let you”
hit adults harder than children?
And why does the final chapter of Pooh feel less like a children’s story — and more like a farewell to innocence itself?
This episode explores memory, friendship, contemplation, growing older, the sorrow of departure, and the hope that somewhere beyond time, “a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.”
Also featuring reflections connected to the Chesterton Radio drama series:
The Priest in the Clock Tower.
