You know every now and then I get hit with a wave of fear.  Nothing crippling.  More along the lines of uncertainity and I guess the fear of that.

What would I do if I lost my job?

What would happen if my mom or dad died (lucky enough to still have both)?

What happen to my children and wife if I die?  Or worse yet any one of them got hurt or died?

Perhaps this is normal as a Father and Husband?  It’s not like a dwell on it or am unable to do anything.

 Is this normal?

My wife gave me my first Harry Potter book shortly after our son was born.  She thought it would be nice for me to read it to him someday.  Though we haven’t done that just yet, my son and I have enjoyed talking about Harry and his adventures and watching some of the movies together (mostly the first one). 

I received my copy of the last book on Saturday and finished it on Sunday.  I do not recall ever feeling this much anticipation for a book before.  True I anticipated the arrival of the previous Harry Potter books and enjoyed them immensely, but I always knew another one was coming.  This time I knew the stories would be over, then what would I read?

Having read them all, most more than once I cannot wait to read them again with my children.  Harry’s adventures will be as classic as Stevenson’s or Tolkien’s.  Children for many generations to come will undoubtedly know them first through the movies but only those who will read the books first truly grasp the concepts that the author was trying to convey.

My wife has done a lot of very nice things for me over the years.  Giving me Harry Potter and his world was one of them and for that I thank her and love her.

There will never be another opportunity for me to read a Harry Potter book for the first time.  I’m sure over the coming years I will re-read all of the books again but you can only read a book once.  It’s like see a movie a second time, you know what happens and, although it might be a great movie, it’s just not the same as the first time.  A little something is lost.

Thank you Ms. Rowling for sharing the world of Harry with us.

Goodbye Harry. 

Lately I have had several people in my life that consistently do not do what they say they will do.  It may be something trivial or it might be an important project at work.  Either way I’m very black and white on this subject.  If you say you are going to do something, then do it.  Think of it this way you made a promise.  If you promise me that you’ll do something and then do not do it, where does that leave me.  I trusted you to do that item you committed to doing, I didn’t trust you not to do it.  If you could not or did not want to do the task then don’t tell me you’ll do it and then not do it.  It’s a matter of trust folks.  Pretty soon you’ll find that if you continually do not do things that you say you will others will not find you reliable.  At work that is a bad situation to be in.  I believe it’s an even worse case if it happens in your home life.

OK, someone needs to explain to me why same sex marriage, civil unions, etc… is so bad or harmful.  If two people are at the legal age to marry why should I care who they are marrying?  With half of all marriages failing today anyways why would we not want to see the percent of successful marriages increase?  What does it really matter if Rob marries Dave or Sue marries Karen.  How does it hurt anyone?

“Well marriage is an institution”!  So what.  Mind you own damn business and live your life not your neighbors.  I mean as long as no person or animal is being hurt then who really cares.  You don’t have to participate in it, just live and let live.  Is that so hard?

“Well that would lead to polygamy and bestiality”!  Do you even believe that?  Come on!  Let me make it real simple the law would read something like this:  Marriage between 2 people of legal age of consent is allowed.  There you go.  No animals.  No multiple wives or husbands.  Just two freaking people who love each other and want to take care of each other joining in this thing we call marriage.  As long as they obey the laws and pay their taxes who cares who there are sharing their life and bed with. 

If your life is turned upside down by someone else’s happiness then you need to re-evaluate your situation and figure out why it bothers so much.  You are the problem, not them.