I have watched Harry Potter grow up from a school boy to a noble young man. His adventures into the wonder of friendship and discovery of self identity have been part of the fabric of my life for many years now. They have been good years. When I step back it sounds weird to admit such things in a public venue. Yet they are true but not in the way you may think.
My youngest son John will be a senior in college next year. He has grown up in a parallel time frame to the famed Harry Potter. I watched him go off to private school with uniforms and the like, flourishing as he studied and learned. He did not study the dark arts but was immersed in the world of theological and sacred thought. Each year as Harry understood more of his own identity, I saw John grow more and more into who he was created to be.
I anticipate the last film in the HP saga for its brilliant conclusion highlighting what is truly eternal. It will be good...real good. For a couple of hours, I will once again be caught into a time warp between what was and will be.
But the visit to Hogwarts will not be without a little melancholy. The little boy has grown up. I will miss his adventures of undying courage. I will miss the wonder of his world and journey of selfhood.
I will miss who he has reminded me of.
Here's to my John. You have given me much.
