optimist prime

Amidst the sunny and hot weather - which was interrupted by a spurt of thunderstorms - this past weekend I finally got around to watching the sixth installment of the Harry Potter movies: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Despite my desire to watch it on opening night, it took a while (by my standards) to watch because I knew I wouldn't have time to re-read (the fifth book) the Order of the Phoenix before watching the new movie, so I had to at least watch the fifth movie before seeing the newest flick. Although I have read all seven books (more than once) I still had some blanks heading into the sixth movie.

One blank I didn't have though was the ending (don't worry no spoilers), which, if you've read the book you know, is very heart-wrenching. I knew what was going to happen and I knew it wasn't going to be easy to experience, because it definitely wasn't easy in the book, but regardless after watching the movie I still left with a sick feeling in my stomach. Don't get me wrong, I'm one of the biggest Harry Potter fans out there and I loved the movie, but that's probably why I left with an uneasy feeling. After six books you get attached to certain characters ( what follows is a spoiler) and when one of those characters is no longer a part of the story, you feel like you've lost a friend. I definitely felt this, but despite the queasiness, I knew it was only make-belief. That was until I looked beside me.

There was a young boy, no more than 10-12 years old, who was watching the movie with (who I assumed to be) his dad. Throughout the film you could tell he was excited through his giggles and attentiveness, and at one point his comment: "I really love this movie". Love is the operative word because when I looked over at the kid, when I really didn't want to watch the screen anymore (because of the ending), I realized that he - a decade my juniour - understood love better than maybe I did. Tears streaming down his face, his knees to his chest, and quiet as can be, his eyes were glued to the screen. He was affected by this movie, this story, this fantasy that was conjured by J.K. Rowling. To him, it seemed like it was real life and he also lost a friend and role-model.

As much as Harry Potter has turned into a marketer's dream and a cash-grab in every way, looking over at the young child next to me in the theater reassured me that the messages in the epic story of Harry Potter have not been lost. Love, compassion, friendship, loss, sacrifice, they all still ring very true in the story and are fundamental teachings and learnings that come from it. And although the story is just that, a story, and the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach has since subsided, that experience will stick with me for good because it felt real. Losing someone can be real, and the kid next to me now - to a certain extent - has felt that feeling. Whether this is good for him or not is yet to be told but knowing that our hero Harry Potter (SPOILER) overcomes this grave loss, will be motivation enough for him to know that he can too.

Whether J.K. Rowling intended for that to happen or not, I don't know, but that's the good that can come from fiction.

________________

On a related note, I took a quiz today that told me what wand I would receive if I was a wizard. This was the result: 9", Oak, Unicorn: Oak signifies wisdom, endurance, protection, and authority. Unicorn's tail hair core means that you are pure of heart and care deeply for your loved ones. I feel this sums me up pretty well. This is another example of how a well-written fictional story, no matter how unlikely it appears to be, can have such a strong relation to real life.

Loading mentions Retweet

This blog is a rather novel entity, and since I bet many of you are visiting for the first time, I suggest you read the introductory post before moving onto to the more somber topic that is to follow.

Family is an important and integral part in most everyone's life, it has the ability to affect someone in the most substantial ways. Whether it is one extreme - your family means the world to you - the other extreme - not having family at all - or somewhere in between, at some level or another your family has likely shaped the person you are. It is sad to hear when family ties go awry; that is, family becomes something negative rather than being the blessed gift that it should be.

Today, it was released in the news (see in the Globe and Mail) that Kingston, Ontario police have charged a father, mother and son with the murder of their three young daughters/sisters, and a caregiver who was with them at the time their car was propelled into the water in the Kingston Mills Locks. The family was believed to be travelling together into two vehicles, the accused in one and the deceased in the other, from Niagra Falls the day that the accident occured. Initially, the surviving family filed a missing persons (and car) report before it was discovered that they were travelling together.

A futher investigation resulted in the three remaining family members being charged with several counts of first-degree murder. Such a story is sickening and makes you question what family means to some. It makes you question whether the family in question took each other for granted. It makes you wonder why certain cultural traditions are still being followed and it makes you wonder how someone could commit such a horrendous act.

Another story from yesterday, however, is sickening in an entirely different way. A widower was forced to eulogized his former wife at a funeral in Montreal yesterday, after his wife was killed by a falling piece of concrete earlier this month. It is unknown whether the falling of the slab of concrete could have been avoided, but what is known is that it happened and the life of Lea Guilbeault was taken, at the tender age of 33.

Imagine the two scenarios 1) parents and a brother allegedly killing their young daughters/sisters and 2) a young wife being killed in a freak accident. They are starkly different, but result in the same thing: families being broken apart. If you've read the introduction to this blog, you know that it is supposed to be positive and celebrate the good things in life. Not much positive can be taken from these grave situations, however, what they teach us is that the we should celebrate the good that is our family.

This celebration is summed up perfectly by a post written by Faizal Khamisa, entitled "Don't forget those close to you". How I came across these three stories at relatively the same time is eerie but seems - and I'm sure is - meant to be. In this post, Faizal describes a time when his sister forced each of their family members to compliment each other. It's not easy if you've tried saying something nice about one of your family members, but it should be. And it should be done more often. The two instances above prove that life can be so short and families can be torn apart so quickly. Do you want that to happen to yours without having expressed the love you have in your heart? I know, sometimes things go unsaid, but isn't it better to say them? Imagine how you'd feel being complimented by those that you undoubtedly respect and love the most in your life. Now imagine how they would feel if you did the same.

Such a simple act - professing the appreciation and love you have towards your family - can go such a long way. Hani Guilbeault expressed to his late wife's coffin yesterday that she was "the sunshine of his life" and in many cases as Faizal points out we would be nothing without or families, we would be without sunshine, living under a dark cloud. As difficult as it may be, take the time out to appreciate what you have in whatever family (or friends you consider family) you have because life can become so different in the blink of an eye.

Loading mentions Retweet