An Open Letter to J. K. Rowling

Dear Ms. Rowling,

As a child, I devoured books eagerly. Every plot line seemed fresh and exciting. I bonded with every character. By the time I reached my forties, however, I'd become jaded. It seemed that I would never recapture that sense of wonder. But then you came along and opened a door to a whole new world. And while I appreciate everything about Harry Potter and Hogwarts, there is one character in particular whom I love.

Ms. Rowling, thank-you for Molly Weasley.

I'm the kind of person who still, even in my mid-forties, needs a good role model. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of middle-aged female characters to look up to. I'm definitely not Desperate Housewife material. Nor - God help me - a housewife like the ones in Orange County. No, I'm a suburban mom who wears her sweats to the grocery store and who drive a minivan. I knit. I garden. I do many uncool things. I hate to shop and don't particularly like to get my hair done. I don't wear make-up.

That's why I love Molly. She's a mom. A real mom. Someone you could invite over for coffee without having to clean the house first. Someone who you would trust to give you advice on how to cure a cough. Someone who understands that kids will be kids. Someone who doesn't care about hair and makeup and moving into a better neighborhood.

Molly loves her brood, but she's no pushover. If ever there was a mom who doled out tough love, it's she. Yet, she's forgiving as well. Who but a loving mother would be willing to welcome back a son like Percy who had so terribly betrayed her?

When my own daughter brought home a friend who looked like she could use a hot meal and a hug, I thought of Molly and how she willingly accepted Harry as one of her own. It gave me the push I needed to let my daughter's friend 'live' at our house for the next eight years and make her part of our family.

Molly is brave. She fights for a cause she believes in, even though it's risky. And she defends her children with the savage ferocity of a mother Kodiak bear. I and all my friends cheered aloud when she put herself between Ginny and Bella LeStrange.

Yes, Molly is my role model, my hero and my favorite literary character of all time.

So, thanks.

An Avid Fan