Savoring Together

 

We finished the Harry Potter series earlier this week.  And reading it was an expected delight.  The girls would have exactly the reactions you would want at plot twists and discoveries along the way (gasps out loud, sitting bolt upright).  The amount of time it took to read each book grew steadily shorter, even as the books grew longer, as we became more and more engrossed in this alternate universe.   I began doing character voices (the best reviews were of the character Luna.)   Now we are taking a break from our afternoon group read.  And I feel the let down of the journey of truly savoring a good tale together, where the characters feel like they are friends we worried about when not reading them.  Sigh.  (At least, I guess, there is still television.)  I do take consolation in knowing that these stories will continue to travel within my girls, as they travel into the future.  I hope they take with them the intelligence and love of learning that Hermione taught.  I hope they take Ron's humor.  I hope they remember Harry's unwillingness to give up, and desire to make things better.  And Dumbledore's ability to recognize and admit his own weaknesses.  Most of all, I hope they take the lesson of always showing up for each other.