I am a reader. Nothing makes me happier than getting lost in a fantasy world created by a skillful author. One of my all-time favorite series is the Harry Potter saga.
I am also a book snob. No movie can ever live up to the beauty created by a book. The Harry Potter movies are no exception. I argue and grieve every change made from the written text. Except one.
In the final Harry Potter movie, a perceived villain, Severus Snape, is dying. In the book, he takes memories from his own mind and offers them to Harry in the form of silvery goo that flows from his brain at the tap of his magic wand. However, in the movie, movie makers made a rare improvement. Snape offers Harry his tears. These tears hold memories.
I LOVE the significance! Tears hold memories.
On this day, as a nation remembers, it feels important to acknowledge that our memories can be prayer. As we remember beautiful summer days with family, God is honored as the architect of such joy. As we remember those we have lost, God is with us as the lover of their souls and the comforter of ours.
A day of remembering is a day of looking for God in our past, and that is prayer. A day of celebrating the joys of summertime is a day of thanksgiving for the One of created seasons. Today, however you find yourself, whether in joy or in grief, God is there. And that is prayer.