Harry. And pizza.

     I was one of those crazy people who was ecstatic about the release of every new Harry Potter book. I devoured them. I enjoyed walking with the characters and watching them develop, change, and yes, wrestle with jealousy, anger, and evil. Their struggles were real and the emotions even more real. And as a teacher, I loved the added fun of Latin-inspired vocabulary.  (I have to say that I wasn't exactly surprised by the backlash of nay-sayers who questioned whether or not you could be a "good Catholic" and read the books. Believe me, it is good to be cautious, to question, to wonder. But in all honesty, I believe that because these stories, these struggles of the heart contain such strong messages of love and redemption, that it outweighs the concerns about delving into magic or witchcraft.  This opinion helped to ease my heart a little as well.  Another mother who used the books for opening up a dialogue of real-world issues.)


Truly, I couldn't wait to share them with my children.... And now I have.



     Joe started reading the series last year and I watched and waited as he began to see those familiar struggles. Good vs. Evil. Hate vs. Love. 


And the discussions became real: 
"But mom, why IS Voldemort so hateful? Doesn't he have any love?"


 I waited to see if he would come up with his own answers. 


Eventually he came back and said: "Well. Is he kind of like the devil then? You know, turning against God?"  As we talked about what evil looks like, what love can conquer, and what the person of Jesus would do, I felt like it was all coming together. 


     And so, as he ended the third book last week, and as we prepared to watch the movie together, he asked if his cousin Kellie could come and watch with him. (Kellie is my husband Tom's 1st cousin, and a dear friend....)


     Joe called Kellie himself and invited her to watch in our "movie room" and said that mom would make pizzas that we could decorate ourselves. This is what it looked like that evening:

Joe "marking" the dough.

"Look. I can be a REAL pizza maker!"

Can you see the Death Eater pizza? That's Kellie's.
(Joe's is the one with spinach...)

     Oh. And being the wonderful cousin that she is, Kellie not only sent us a postcard from Harry Potter World (when she visited in Florida), but she thought about Joe while she was there and got him his own magic candy quill. Magic indeed. :

     It really was a wonderful evening full of good food, great family time, and yes, the magic that is Harry.