finding the treasure at the end of the story

When i was in the 7th grade, my bff was addicted to JRR Tolkien...the Hobbit and all the rest .

I tried. I really did. I wanted to be a bookworm like her. But i was much more of a Judy Blume girl--sneakily reading through 'Forever' in the girls bathroom....trying to discover the secret of sexuality. much more of a , shall we say, short story kinda girl.

As i got older, the lure of dating, teaching aerobics, school, marriage, babies...blah blah blah...i seldom read, much less finished any books.

A couple of years ago i basically stopped watching tv, pretty much cold turkey. Having been a former night owl, i wanted to make a change in how i started my day. I don't know that i'd call myself a morning girl yet, but i'm trying. I use those early hours, while everyone ( sans my hubby who leaves for work at 6am) sleeps, to read scripture, journal, and then if there's time left i pick up a book. And proudly i'd like to admit that i've become quite the book worm...and not just short books either. I've read dozens of books during this time. I've talked about a few of them here. But I must admit, my favorite has been the Harry Potter series....all 4,100 collective pages. did you hear me? 4,100 collective pages.

Today i finished book 7. i sat back , teary eyed and relished that final moment that comes at the end of a well written story. savoring the moment when everything comes together. the treasure of understanding.

I love things neat & tidy. I love a happy ending. I love discovering why people do what they do and therefore understanding them better. I like my home that way, i like relationships that way, i like my sermons that way. all packaged up nice & pretty....with clarity and conceptualisation. while life rarely affords me that privilege, a good book usually does.

This isn't meant to be an endorsement of Harry Potter, well not necessarily anyway but rather an explanation of my devotion. I'm well aware of the controversy--the whole evil wizard issue. I'm fairly certain the books were even banned from the private christian school my girls formerly attended....so yes, there is a subdued rebel nature in me! But my eldest has always been a voracious reader and had whizzed through the books. A spiritual mentor of mine had read them to her boys--since i think she's nearly perfect i figured what was ok for her was surely ok for me. Judge me on that one...that's ok. My second daughter was not at all interested in reading. Her 4th grade ( now we're in public school thank you very much) had encouraged her to pick up the first book. There has been no turning back. She's read all of them, countless times, over & over again. She has since read many of Jane Austen's books ( so for those of you against HP, surely 'Pride and Predjudice' brings some redemption,right? )and hundreds more.

I decided a great way to connect with my teens would be that i i too needed the literary challenge of a 7 book series. They mocked me and called me 'not a true fan' because i would break between every one and read a half dozen or so other books, regain my strength and plow through another one. Surely crying at the end of the series constitutes real devotion, does it not?

The books blow my mind.

How JK Rowling weaved the plethora of characters seamlessly through all 7 books is nothing short of spectacular.

Good vs Evil

loyalty

the power of friendship

genuine love

conquering fear

weaving through adolescence

and my favorite...the last hundred pages explaining the secrets, explaining the basis of many of the relationships, explaining how unselfish love wins over all....i found the treasure at the end of the story ~choosing that which is right not that which is easy.

I'm sure there's many a sermon there. But I'll leave it at that.

Here's hoping to finding more treasures this summer....

whether it be in a new relationship or the healing of an old one,

whether it be sitting poolside with your children

or sipping lemonade beside an aging grandparent

or in finding seashells along the shore

with a little one who is amazed at each of them, whether broken or perfect

each of us are that too aren't we?

broken

not perfect

what a priceless gift to be someone's treasure

I probably won't post quite as frequently. With everyone home I don't want to spend too much time seated in front of the computer, while hours at a time disappear.

I'll try to keep up with ya'll though.

Happy summer

Go find your treasures!!