My family has been captivated by several Harry’s over the years.  There was Harry from “Harry and the Hendersons”.  This Harry was a lovable Sasquatch that my family found hilarious.  My family loved Harry Connick Jr, the actor and musician.  His “When My Heart Finds Christmas Album” will always be played in my house at the holidays.  However, there is one Harry that had our hearts.  Harry Potter.  Have you heard of him?

I tease.  I know my family was not the only one to love the Harry Potter universe.  My mom started reading them when I was in college.  My mom loved reading.  When we were old enough to care for our basic needs by ourselves she would get lost in a book until it was finished.  My dad would buy her books when they would come out and write notes to her on the inside cover.  It was really sweet.  She read many different authors, from many different genres but some of her favorites were Nicholas Sparks, John Grisham, J.K. Rowling, of course.  My mom always tried to get us to read growing up, but none of us took after her love of literature.  It is something I regret.  I think about all the worlds I missed exploring as a kid because I didn’t want to be bothered with a book.  I was a slow reader and my Type A personality did not want to participate in anything I wasn’t good at, so I didn’t do it.  I somehow made it through high school by not reading most of the books that were assigned.  Sorry teachers.

However, my mom’s love a Harry Potter seemed quite different, so I started reading and could not stop.  I loved it!  I became the person waiting in line at midnight for a new book to release.  I took a brief hiatus when I first moved to Nashville because I lived in a basement with giant bugs and reading the beginning of Prisoner of Azkaban was freaking me out, so I put it away for awhile.  Grown adults can get scared too.

I know Harry Potter can be a triggering subject, especially in the Christian community, but for me it was not a story about witchcraft and wizardry it was a story of a boy trying to understand who he was and where he came from.  He also happened to be a wizard.  It is not the Bible.  However, there are a lot of important lessons that Harry learns throughout the books.  He learns about friendship, family, identity, bravery, grief, loss, loneliness, jealousy, uncertainty and so many other things.  He does not always say the right thing or do the right thing.  He can be impulsive and has to learn to reign it in, but he has a good heart that wants to do what’s right for others, not just himself.

Harry Potter helped me fall in love with reading and I’m trying really hard to instill that in my kids.  I get tickled every time my oldest recognizes words and sounds them out.  He gets pretty tickled too.  I hope his love for reading continues throughout school and into his adult life.

I have branched out from Harry Potter and have started reading all kinds of books.  A couple of years ago my friend and I took a 12 month reading challenge.  We read 12 books in a year from a list of different topics.  We started the year by reading “The Hobbit”.  It was in the category of books we were supposed to read in school.  We made it through, but it was not our favorite.

I have not been reading much lately.  By the time the kids are in bed and I have spent the day reading kids books and getting ready for the next day, I am ready to crash.  I can’t even stay awake to watch TV with Kevin most nights.  We have a blanket in our living room that instantly causes me to fall asleep.  It’s so cozy and warm.  Maybe it’s time I start another reading challenge.  The new year is almost upon us and I would love to get back to reading.  What are you reading?