User blog comment:JoePlay/Wizarding World Giveaway/@comment-4146941-20110714142826

To me, Harry Potter has always meant so very much. I only first started reading it because my Nana kept bugging me and my mom about it, but once I had begun, there was just no going back. Even my dad read the books, and he NEVER reads, and probably hadn't read anything since high school, but it was addicting even for him. We would fight over who got to read the book first every time a new one came out. The books were just full of so imagination, and that was very important to me as an awkward child who was trying to find my place in the world. And as incredible as the books were, the movies gave us all the glimpse of that longed-for magical world of possibilities. Harry's story represented so much-a young, average child who finds that they had always had greatness within them. That's something that everyone wants to know is possible for them.

When my parents got divorced, I was devastated and still quite young. I didn't know what to do or think, but every now and then I would turn to Harry Potter because it would remind me that no matter what happens, with courage and love, you can make it through anything, even if the path to that happy destination is a long and winding one. Tonight will be somewhat hard to face, as these books and movies I think will always represent my generation for decades to come, and knowing that this is the end of an era, I have a feeling I will be shedding some tears. Gah, I already am now. Harry Potter, The Chosen One, thank you for taking us all on this journey and helping us to find hope and meaning in this world fraught with pain and suffering. Even if it was just imaginary, as the great Dumbledore said, "Of course this is happening inside your head, but why on earth should that mean it isn't real?" Harry Potter, you shall forever and always be The Boy Who Lived on in our hearts. <3