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Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home




Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home. For years, I have used the Harry Potter series as an escape from reality. I have read them in every possible medium I can understand, seen all the movies, gone to conventions, and been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Florida. Thanks to COVID-19 JK Rowling released "The Philosopher's Stone," narrated by Stephen Fry. I've been meaning to listen to it, but I have been 'too busy.' Now, I'm wondering if the world just knew I would need something new (to me) related to Harry Potter now. I re-entered the magical world last night to help me escape and cope with reality.

This photo is my friend Dan. He's been missing since October 21, 2019. There have been multiple searches and locating him has been a community wide effort. I was highly involved, joining searches, hanging flyers, and reaching out to any possible business to share his poster. This last Saturday May, 16, 2020 a body was found downriver from our location. Sunday, I received confirmation it was Dan. It's been a heartbreaking few days for me. I have found myself wading along trying to keep on a good face for work. It's been very difficult.

 I want to talk about Dan a little bit because the world lost an amazing spark of joy. Dan could light up a room just by entering it. He was a comedian, a musician, an actor, and an all around awesome person. When I was a freshman in high school he adopted my best friend and I as his freshman. He helped us throughout that first year a lot. We always called him 'Dan Dan the Tuba Man.' I can remember him so clearly walking through the hallways singing "Jack's Lament" from "The Nightmare Before Christmas." He wasn't afraid to be be goofy and his jokes never tore anyone down. After high school he joined the Army. I don't know much about this time of his life. I know he rushed into a burning building in 2015 to alert everyone of the fire and that he was participating in the local ComiCons, as well as moved to a big city. When he came back to his hometown, we bumped into each other and were reconnecting. It was great having this man back in my life, he was such a dear friend! He made me smile and laugh. I ended up hooked on coffee because I would spend every lunch break at the coffee shop where he was working just to chat with him. The last conversation we had was about haunted houses because we were both acting in different ones. Dan could make any person's day better. Like I said, this world lost a beautiful soul.

 I deleted a selfie with him because I wasn't happy with how it looked and now I'm going to forever regret that since I can't re-take it. I have been hurting  a lot with this news. I started listening to the Stephen Fry narration of Harry Potter because I know the story so well, it helps me feel calm. Stephen Fry is helping me experience Harry Potter in a new way and he is helping me cope with a devastating situation. I'm glad JK Rowling shared her world with us, because as she put it: Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home. Thank you for providing me a safe world when my world feels all crazy.

 Dan, you are loved. You are missed and in true geeky fashion I'm calling for a wands up in your memory!
via GIPHY

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