It All Ends

Yesterday was a long time in the making. I spent the very early hours re-reading Harry Potter book 7. I wept. A lot. I remembered. A lot. Discovering these books my sophomore year in High School. Feeling, like so many, lost and misunderstood. Reading under the desk in classes, seeing the first movie, lining up for books 4, 5, 6, 7. It's been an incredible experience and last night, seated in that theater, I was overcome by the magnitude of this thing--- the fact that one woman's idea could create, well, magic.

I have the same story most have. I fell in love with JK Rowling's world. The books marked passages in my own life. I remember where I was when the fifth was released, when I saw the third movie, etc. And yet-- there is this other thing now. There is the fact that, soon, I will get to hold my own book in my hands. That with every novel that is created there is the possibility of touching someone. I sobbed yesterday because I realized that what I felt, more than anything else, was gratitude. Gratitude for having read these books. For having been a part of something that has created so much goodness in the world. And gratitude for having been inspired all those years ago and for now having the career that I do. JK Rowling says that Hogwarts will always be there to welcome us home--- I believe her. Because the wonderful thing about stories is that once read (or watched), they become our own. I can't wait to share my first book with people, to have it slip out of my hands and pass on its ownership. But for now, I'm trying to say goodbye to Harry. It's been a bit more difficult than I expected.

With love,

R