I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t allow my children to read the Harry Potter books when they were younger. As a conservative Christian, I worried that the books about wizardry and spells would negatively affect the Bible’s teachings they were learning.
About three years ago, I read through the series out of curiosity…and the fact that my classroom library had the first couple of books (I borrowed the rest).
I was hooked from the second book on, and I read through them within a few months.
I joined the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup on Ravelry and spent two years knitting projects that were HP-themed.
Most recently, I joined the Hogwarts Running Club (HRC) on Facebook. What a wonderful group of people this is…everyone is so encouraging as we all seek to improve our fitness levels while having sharing our love for all things Harry Potter.
Thus it was with great sadness that word of Alan Rickman’s death spread. He was the actor who portrayed Snape in the movies.
Oh Snape…what a tortured soul he was. I never liked him in the books. I couldn’t figure out if he was good or bad. In the end, he redeemed himself mightily. I’m still impressed with his many layers. J.K. Rowling did an excellent job with his character development.
Rickman was the perfect person to don Snape’s robes. I know Rickman was in a lot of other movies as well; however, this character will always stand out for me.
The HRC wanted to honor Rickman. Within only a few short hours, this non-profit group had organized a virtual run (all runs are virtual, by the way) in which proceeds from t-shirt sales will benefit Debate Mate, a charity that Rickman was heavily involved with.
As of this writing, nearly $10,000 has been raised from shirt sales…after only seven or eight hours! Here’s the link if you want to read more about it.
There won’t be any medals for this race because there isn’t time for the medals to be made. The date of the race is February 21, Rickman’s birthday.
I ordered my shirt already and will be walking/jogging my way through 3.94 miles.
You don’t have to be a member of the HRC to participate. If you enjoy walking, jogging, running, skipping, or cartwheeling through a few miles, sign up! There are going to be hundreds of us doing this; pictures will be posted on Facebook, and tears will be shed, I’m sure.
I’m not overly sentimental; however, for some reason this has touched my heart deeply. I’m a sucker for a good story. I’ve always rooted for the underdog. I’ve also been humbled by the support I am getting on HRC’s Facebook page. To think that a group of fictional characters could be the basis for creating strong bonds outside of the book world speaks of the power of words, the love for creativity, and the kindness of humanity.
RIP, Alan Rickman. Thanks for bridging the connection between words penned on paper and what I saw in my mind as I read.
Filed under: fitness | Tagged: Alan Rickman, Harry Potter, Hogwarts Running Club, Snape | 2 Comments »
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