Saying Goodbye to Harry

Last night was something I've both looked forward to and dreaded. I'm actually glad I was able to recruit Tim for the task. We went to what will probably be my last "first midnight showing" of a movie. Not to say I won't ever do it again, but I just don't know how many more I'll be dying to see at the first available moment.

I will never forget how I came to love Harry Potter. Tim and I were dating, and it was the summer after he graduated and I was finished with my first year of college. Tim's little sister Sarah wanted to go to the midnight release. Well, I had been one of those obnoxious naysayers. I wasn't interested in "kid's books" and the like.

But, something happened. I casually opened the cover of the first book at Tim's family's kitchen table. I started to read the first page. We took Sarah to the local Books A Million at midnight so she could get her book. I kept reading. I think I read through the night. I remember finishing quickly enough that I could tell them all I was sold. Hooked. Transformed into a total Harry Potter freak.

A couple years later. I went to a midnight release to get my own copy of the next novel. I remember reading as much through the night as I could. And a few years later, I was in graduate school, in line with my Auburn pals getting my final copy.

While the journey for me has been a bit shorter than others, it has been an exciting 8 years for me. I really think JK Rowling has set a new standard in fiction writing for multiple generations. I don't know how easy that will be to top.