Thank You

I've been ignoring this post for a very long time...too long in fact. I decided it's finally time I muster the courage and try to put into words the feelings I have for a certain boy and his faithful friends, who become his family.

I haven't read a biography on J.K. Rowling, so I still don't know for sure what she set out to do over a decade ago when she penned the first Harry Potter novel. I think she might have needed a little money, but I also think she wanted an escape. She wanted a world she could retreat into in which anything was possible. We are so lucky she decided to share this world with us. What started out as a story about a boy who became a wizard has become so much more than that. His story is one of perseverance, hope, trust, faithfulness, and love...so much about love.

A story in which the love you have for your friends goes beyond friendship and develops into familial bonds.

A story in which love protects you when nothing else can.

A story that understands love is an emotion not only held for people but for places, which become so intrinsic to your being that they also become part of your soul.

A story that creates and celebrates the love for fictional characters that become so well known to you that it is as if these people live and breathe beside you.

To say I'll miss the Harry Potter hoopla, which some thought would never come to an end, is an understatement. When I closed the back cover to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows four years ago, I knew my journey with Harry wasn't really over yet, because there would always be movies to come! Now, however, the anticipation of one more interpretation is almost done. I have a feeling there might be a few tears as those credits roll, but hopefully, those tears will be tinted with joy. For I know, that though the books and movies have come to a conclusion, Harry, Ron, and Hermione will still be a part of my life. How I look forward to sharing their stories with my children, and God willing, one day my grandchildren. I cannot wait to introduce them to the world of awe inspiring magic and wonderment that J.K. Rowling created for any person who is a child at heart.

I guess all I can end with is...thank you, Harry.