Thankful

As I contemplate the peeling of potatos and chopping of onions in preparation for another Thanksgiving feast, I want to take a moment to think about all the things I have to be grateful for. I may not live in the nicest house, or drive a fancy car but I have so many wonderful things in my life, that it is nice to take a moment to acknowledge them.

The thing I am most grateful for is my family.  I have two beautiful, smart, funny daughters who are fun to spend time with and help me so much with the bookstore.  I have sisters and parents and nieces and nephews, all of whom are flying through life at their own pace, dealing with some issues and experiencing some joys.  I get to check in with their lives and occasionally spend time with them and learn from them all the time.

I have a roof over my head that is comfortable and warm.  I have a car that takes me to work and pretty much everywhere else I want to go.  I have more books than any human being should have. I have good food to eat. I have two crazy cats that amuse me and curl up purring next to me while I read. My life, though hectic, is filled with basic creature comforts.

Things are not perfect.  Perfection is not something I even seek these days.  I think I have grown to have the wisdom to know that "enough" is a blessing and that even those that seem to have it all, have their own problems.

So, yes, I am grateful for all that I have.  I hope that this Thanksgiving you all have much to give thanks for as well.

The Magic of Harry Potter

I stayed up way too late last night re-reading Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows.  I am going to see the movie, of course, but I had been meaning to re-read it for a few years.  When it first came out, I devoured it so fast that I missed the details. J.K. Rowling tells a story like no one else.  She is also a skilled writer, describing the sites of Harry's triumphs and tragedys and the interactions between Harry, Hermoine and Ron in a way that you can almost see and hear them.

There have been some interviews with J.K. Rowling in which she says that she might someday consider writing another Harry Potter book.  As a bookseller, I should be jumping up and down and praying for an early release of whatever she chooses to write.  But I am not hoping for more.  Harry Potter was a phenomenon, special to the place and time in which it was released.  As we await the last movie, reflecting the final chapter of the story, there is a bittersweet feeling that you get at the end of a long and wonderful journey. You might go back and retrace your steps, but the journey will never be the same.  The wonder of discovery comes only the first time around.

And there was a sort of innocence that allowed children and adults alike to love the Harry Potter stories.  Somewhere along the way, the innocence has dimmed a bit.  It is not that we are jaded, exactly, but time and technology have changed so much from the time of the release of the first Harry Potter book.  We live in a different world than the one that existed in 1997.

So, as much as I would love to dress up as Professor McGonagall again and fill my big black cauldron with jelly beans, I think that Harry Potter should remain frozen in time.  I look forward to introducing new generations of readers to the books, and hanging out on rainy weekends watching all the movies in a row. I will enjoy the photos and memories of many happy book release parties.  And I will keep my fingers crossed that lightning will strike again and that in a pub in Ireland or a coffee shop in Minneapolis a writer is writing a story that will grab a generation and take them on an amazing ride.