Mom

"I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine--she helps me grow, prosper, and reach new heights." - Terri Guillemets
I originally started writing out thoughts for this a couple of weeks ago after attending the funeral of a dear friend's mom.  Going through something like that really makes you think about your own mom.  And seeing as today is Mother's Day, I thought it was a fitting day to share.
For anyone who has met my mom, you know that she is an utterly fantastic person.  I don't know that she realizes just how great she is (or perhaps she is just incredibly modest and humble).  So, since the power of words is infinite, I'm choosing to honour my mom and let the world know how I feel.
My mom has been taking care of others since she was young.  At the age of 10 she took over the running of the house when her mom was too ill to do so.  She's been a caregiver ever since (although I suspect that she has always thought about others before herself).  While she could have been a great many things professionally, she chose nursing, the ultimate care-giver role.  And she was an amazing nurse (I say was because she is now happily retired; however, she will always be a nurse in my mind).  Any of the patients who were fortunate enough to be in her care were grateful to have my mom there, as were many of the families.  She brought sunshine with her to work and would regularly spontaneously break out into song and dance to make the residents smile.  Granted, she does this at home, and I am frequently her dance partner.  :)  My mom passed this "helping" gene on to me and I honestly believe that some of my very best characteristics come from my mom.
I think that she focuses on her imperfections too much, and I so wish that she could see herself through my eyes.  At the end of the day, I am grateful beyond words that I have my mom on my side.  She lets me make mistakes but does not hesitate to listen to me and hug me when things go wrong.  She has deep seated compassion and to this day still wishes she had a magic wand that would take the pain and hurt away (and sometimes I wish she did too).  As long as I know that my mom is supporting me, I have the strength to get through.
If my mom is proud of me, she should also be proud of herself for nurturing me and guiding me into the person I am.  She (and my dad) never forced me in any particular direction and has always allowed me to find my way to the person I am.  But, she also instilled in me a strong sense of right and wrong and I come by my stubbornness (or is that determination?  *smile*) honestly.  I always say that with German and Scottish ancestry, I had no hope of being anything but hard-headed.  :)
When I look at my mom, I see strength and courage.  I see a woman who is so incredibly beautiful on the inside that it shines through when she smiles.  I see a woman who has no idea how much she touches the lives of those around her and how much she makes everyone's life that much richer because she's in it.  I see a woman that I would be proud to be.

Quibbles and Conudrums

I saw the trailer for the last Harry Potter movie the other day and as I was sharing it on my Facebook profile, I added the comment "I will do my absolute very best to not get annoyed with changes they've made."  This is something that is difficult for me.  I guess you could say that I am a Harry Potter purist.  

Now, granted, I quite enjoyed the first three movies and felt that they were much truer to the books than future movies.  But, alas, they were also the three shortest books.  I have been disappointed by the last three movies (particularly Half-Blood Prince... I know the climax was the death of Dumbledore, but the movie seemed to be lacking action especially without the confrontation between the Order and the Death Eaters at Hogwarts that occurs in the book).  It was my hope that by dividing Deathly Hallows into two movies that they would be truer to the books.  

I realize that the movies would be entirely too long if everything were included, and I can appreciate that.  On the other hand, some of the other things that have been altered surprise me when I consider that J.K. Rowling has creative input in all the movies.  Like for instance, the fact that it was Cho who was the snitch instead of her friend Marietta (re: the D.A. in  Order of the Phoenix).  This didn't make sense to me since it was her friend who wasn't sure about joining the D.A. in the first place.  I also think it would have been nice to have kept the enchanted Galleons in the storyline (how Hermione came up with the idea is brilliant and also shows the level of skill she has to complete the charm). 


A lot of things that were changed annoy me because I would have liked to see them.  Such as the fact that while Malfoy was in the Room of Requirement trying to fix the vanishing cabinet, Crabb and Goyle were patrolling outside but had taken polyjuice potion.  Which brings me to another thing that irked me: I don't understand how the Order was supposed to know about the vanishing cabinet that Malfoy had purchased in Borgin and Burkes... this was part of the mystery in the book; we didn't know what the heck Malfoy was doing!  And at the very least, Hermione would have pieced together that the vanishing cabinet had a partner in the school (I believe it was Goyle who got shoved/lost in it).  

With regards to the Deathly Hallows, pt. 1: I don't think it was necessary to have a naked Hermione & Harry making out when Ron is facing Voldemort/Tom Riddle from the locket.  What they were saying was enough of a reflection of the concerns and doubts that Ron has.  As well, I wish they had left in the part about the secret radio station (just because I think it added a little "whimsy").  I may be mistaken that this was left out, but I wish they had also kept where Ron tells Hermione and Harry that the name Voldemort is taboo and that is how they were found right after the wedding.  I know these are little details, but they stand out enough that I noticed them.  Much like how the Death Eater knew it was Harry at the beginning because of the spell he performed (I can understand that having it be Stan was not necessary).  Oh... yes... the beginning... that ridiculous chase between the Death Eaters and Hagrid/Harry on the freeway.  The chase is thrilling enough without adding the illogical aspect of it occurring right in front of muggles; I do not believe that witches and wizards would want to be discovered even at this point.  Perhaps this was put in to appeal to the male population watching, but I don't think it was necessary.  I was also bothered that Harry and Hermione did not take polyjuice potion when visiting Godric's Hollow and think it would have been a nice to have kept the memorial to the Potter's.  Lastly, with regards to this movie, I believe the ending was off in terms of timing.  Again, I may be mistaken, but I remember Voldemort retrieving the wand much closer to the time of the final confrontation.  I understand the filmmaker's need for a climax, but I think that if they had cut off the movie when they are captured in the forest, that would have been a good ending.


Okay... so... my biggest bug-a-boo about something that WASN'T in the movie(s): The plot line with Petunia and Harry.  I thought it was important to understand why Harry had to return to Privet Drive every summer and that Petunia had made a promise to help protect Harry.  I also wish they had kept in the goodbye scenes between Petunia/Harry/Dudley.  In terms of the protection of the house, it also didn't make sense that the Dursley's left before Harry did, because that would have broken the protection... the whole point in the book is that Harry's departure coincided with the Dursley's.  


And my biggest quibble about something that WAS in the movie(s) but not the book(s): Hermione's obvious affection for Ron.  Yes, the readers knew that these two liked each other.  But with the not-so-subtle hints starting in Prisoner of Azkaban when Hermione puts her head on Ron's shoulder when Buckbeak is executed, I didn't like this plot line.  Part of the charm of these characters is that they so obviously like each other but are both unaware or unwilling to admit it.  


After all this griping, you probably think that I don't like the movies.  This is not true.  I love the movies and the books.  I love the world of Harry Potter that Rowling has created for her readers.  From the first time I read Philosopher's Stone (I am still not sure why the title was changed to Sorcerer's Stone in the U.S.), I saw a parallel between Voldemort and Hitler.  I suppose Voldemort could be the epitome of all evil in its various forms.  I marvel at Rowling's mind and cannot fathom how she invented some of the things she did (the idea of Horcruxes for instance).  Harry Potter has been criticized because of its magic content and labelled as a promoter of witchcraft.  To the nay-sayers, I say this: READ IT before you judge it! The books are fundamentally about good vs. evil.  But they're also about the power of love and friendship.  I will be sad when the last movie is released because it will be the end of an era, but I look forward to future generations being introduced to this absolutely magical world.