The Owl Has Arrived

I read a story once about a man whose adventures took him far away from other people for many years. A minor detail to the story line was that he'd brought with him the very last book from his favorite author. He had never read it, and even though he was alone and had this book with him, he wouldn't read it. I remember thinking: Just read it, you idiot! What if something happens and you never get to read it?!

But now I understand. Because today I hold in my hands the very last unread Harry Potter book. I've been sitting here with it for an hour. I've read the entire jacket, the title page, the dedication, even the publisher's notes about copyright and permissions. But I can't make myself start reading yet.


This is that moment. The one right before you experience something wonderful (I hope) and you know it's coming, but it hasn't happened yet. This is one of those moments that you only get to live once.

Muggles might think all this sounds silly, but some of these books comforted me through some really hard times. And others were read during some really wonderful times in my life. The memories and emotions are now intertwined with the stories and characters. And just think - there are people all over the world right now, opening this book for the first time just like me. They're living one of those moments.