User blog comment:JoePlay/Wizarding World Giveaway/@comment-4144091-20110713200704

I can still recall the day perfectly that I discovered Harry Potter and the world that was opened to me. Having just moved to a new town, trying to make new friends, and dealing with the upheaval of everything I considered to be ‘normal’, I turned to Harry as a source of comfort. Throughout the years my connection and value of these books grew. With every midnight release party, every all day marathon of reading, and all the countless times I fell asleep with a Harry Potter book resting on my chest, my love and gratitude for J.K. Rowling’s masterpiece increased. The characters in the books provided me with friendship and a positive example of the values that I cherish most in my life: the power of unity, compassion towards one another, courage in the face of adversity, and a willingness to face and accept the unknown without fear. Now, like when I first turned to Harry Potter at age 10, I am embarking on a new chapter in my life. I am graduating college and will be joining the Peace Corps soon, and once again, I am turning to Harry as a means of comfort in a new, but scary time in my life. I take from these books strength, drive, loyalty and bravery when at times I feel I have none. I know that the Harry Potter books will accompany me to whatever country I am sent to, and perhaps I can share the magic with someone else.