Harry Potter Weekend
JULY 23, 2007
The wait, the crowds, the late night... was worth it all...
Such a tale... I laughed, I cried, I've dove back in again and again, re-reading and wondering and marveling at this story that has sparked the imagination in so many... and brought back reading as something magical and adventuresome for kids who had never known the wonder of curling up into a book...
My Friday evening started with a little witch (aka Gigi) who sparkled us all with pixie dust before we left for the gala event...
Such a tale... I laughed, I cried, I've dove back in again and again, re-reading and wondering and marveling at this story that has sparked the imagination in so many... and brought back reading as something magical and adventuresome for kids who had never known the wonder of curling up into a book...
My Friday evening started with a little witch (aka Gigi) who sparkled us all with pixie dust before we left for the gala event...
while her older sister was transforming in the next room into Bellatrix Lestrange right before her mother's eyes...
Not soon after... we took off on our trusty brooms and stood in line for a few hours... but had lots of friends to share the evening with!
Here is Tonks (aka Rowan) and Belletrix (aka Trixie)
and Professor Trelawny (aka Nash) with her tea leaves and tea cup (I heard that she gave several profound predictions that night) and Bellatrix again!!!
Me~ as Professor Spiral, and Professor Lucille (aka Lucille) with her poisoned mushroom regalia...
and once again with her colleague Professor Junipera Quirk (aka Lynnette)...
and once again with her colleague Professor Junipera Quirk (aka Lynnette)...
Can you believe it? Early in the evening, while we were in line, some git attempted to spoil the book by flying over Santa Rosa in an airplane with neon sign giving away important pieces of the plot!!!!
But it didn't matter, nothing could take away from reading the story, word for word, or the fun we had in dressing up and waiting together to take our copies home with us. I leave you with this quote, written by Chauncey Mabe from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel...
"As one character replies when Harry asks if what he's just seen in real or only in his head: 'of course it's happening in your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?'
That's a declaration of real magic, the magic of the imagination, and it could serve as a manifesto for all great fantasy."
But it didn't matter, nothing could take away from reading the story, word for word, or the fun we had in dressing up and waiting together to take our copies home with us. I leave you with this quote, written by Chauncey Mabe from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel...
"As one character replies when Harry asks if what he's just seen in real or only in his head: 'of course it's happening in your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?'
That's a declaration of real magic, the magic of the imagination, and it could serve as a manifesto for all great fantasy."
View more

Labyrinths provide us with a path to practice change. Some labyrinths have withstood the passage of time for thousands of years. Others are here for just an afternoon, drawn in the sand at the edge of the ocean. Many modern labyrinths were meant to last for years, but because of unforeseen circumstances their time is shorter than intended. And they once again help us to practice letting go and giving thanks for the time they are with us. The Labyrinth of Life at the Sebastopol, California Teen Center reached such place of letting go and is at the end of one chapter and the beginning of another chapter that is yet unknown.

Sometimes... a labyrinth can take years to become a physical reality. In 2018 I met with my friend Deb, to discuss her desire to have a labyrinth on the beautiful land she lives on. Despite our plans and several meetings, listening to the land and finding the right spot, the labyrinth did not come to fruition. Fast-forward five years and in the blink of an eye... it happened!