Rest in Peace Brian Jacques

Sad, sad news.  I found out today that Brian Jacques, author of one my favorite series Redwall and my third favorite trilogy The Castaways of the Flying Dutchmen passed away this past weekend from a heart attack. 
May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace.

Waking Rose

When Waking Rose came out I eagerly grabbed the first copy I came across and jumped into the adventures of my favorite couple, Fish and Rose.  Well, they weren't a couple for most of the book - but we all knew that was coming.
Now as for the story, once again I've invited several of the character's to share their story with you all.

Paul: Hi, I'm Paul Fester and this is -

Alex: Alex O'Donnell, very pleased to meet you.

Hey wait... where are Fish and Rose?  This is their book, they are supposed to be helping out here!

Alex: Well you see, Ben called us at the last minute and said that he and Rose couldn't make it after all and so that's why we're here!

Paul: We do know the story...

Very well.  Carry on!

Paul: Great!  Well let's see... Alex and I met Rose at Mercy College the fall that she started going there.  I was in a bioethics class with her and Alex was in... a different class.

Alex: Theology.  So we met her, discovered that she read Chesterton and all became great friends!  As long as she didn't mention sewing and remind us that she was a girl, she was great to talk to!

Paul: Yeah, it was a lot of fun!  We even made her a Lady of the Sacra Cor.

Alex: The Sacra Cor was the guys dorm that Paul and I stayed in, and we all had formed ourselves into a band of knights.  We practiced weaponry, fighting skills and pledged ourselves to the defense of our ladies.

Paul: After I got to know Rose - oh, and I think I had met Ben, Fish, at this point - we started working on this "Monster Bioethics Paper", as Rose put it.  She was going to do hers on abuse of patients at the hospital, something her dad had worked on while he was in the newspaper during the time the Brier's lived around the college.  I helped her to do some searching in the boxes of old papers that the Brier's stored in a family barn nearby.  Then Rose ran into a dead end and decided to a paper on the care of comatose patients instead.

Alex: Yeah, and this whole time poor Paul had a crush on Rose, but it was pointless 'cause - 

Paul: Hey!  Spoiler!

Alex: It wasn't a spoiler, it was a teaser.


Paul: Whatever.  It was around this time then - 


Alex: That tragedy struck!  Disaster befell us!  And if you want to know what it was, you'll have to go and read Waking Rose, available wherever the Fairy Tale Novels are sold! Handing it back over to -

Paul: Wait!  If you didn't know this already, Alex and I do have our own books.  I am in "The Midnight Dancers" and Alex stars in "Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyberthieves".  NOW handing it back over to Miss Rose Marchen.

Thank you both for doing this review for me and in place of Rose and Fish!

Waking Rose is a beautiful story, very nearly my favorite one of the series.  Just a note to readers who haven't read this book yet, it is probably Regina's darkest book and does deal with some tricky issues, so younger readers may want to have their parents input on it first. (And parents, you can now go to the "Picky Parent's Guide" on the Fairy Tale Novels Website to check out any issues!) 

Overall, a highly recommended book and one that I think guys and girls alike will really enjoy.

Black as Night

Hello there!  I'm back again after ignoring you all with another review of one of Regina Doman's books!  This time I'll be reviewing "Black as Night", Regina's second book and my hesitant favorite.  (Hesitant only because I love all of her books so much that it is hard to choose a favorite!)

I wasn't sure whether or not to introduce anyone this time around, seeing as how the people - or should I say, person - I introduced last time rather took over my post!  But then I thought that since they did such a wonderful and entertaining job, I'd give it a shot.  Blanche, Bear, Brother Leon?  Would you care to take over at this point?

Blanche: Bear, you can do it.

Bear: You started the story.

Brother Leon: I can't start talking until you do!  The book starts with you running - 

Blanche: *smiles*

Bear: *laughs* Brother Leon, I thought the idea was to have Blanche start out, not us tell her part of the story for her?

Blanche: Oh, this feels so awkward... can't one of you please start?

Brother Leon: I'll start.  Once upon a time in New York City, it was night time.  Scratch that, I'm telling it from my point of view, so it was morning.  It was morning.  In most places, Morning is a time for peace, quiet, good coffee when it's not my turn to make it... but not in the Friary of St. Giles.  At least not this morning.  After breakfast I had gone to take some donations to the vestibule where we stored them, when I discovered Blanche.

Blanche: You see, the previous night I was chased by two boys on the subway. I ran to the Friary because to me it was Saint Catharine's Church, a part of the high school I had attended.  Bear had given me a key to the church and I hadn't known that someone had bought the place after the school closed down.

Brother Leon: *laughs* Yeah, we gave her a start when she woke up and saw seven guys in brown robes looking down at her.

Blanche: You were very warm and welcoming, and I enjoyed my stay there.  My mom, Rose and Bear were all out of town and I was being chased by a danger that I couldn't face on my own.  The friars were a heaven sent refuge while I tried to figure out what to do.

Bear: And I'm so glad they were there for you.  Following the events of "The Shadow of the Bear", Freet's arrest and not having to live on the streets anymore... I was struggling with finding direction in my life.  I loved Blanche, but I didn't know if I was ready for marriage or even if I would be any good as a husband, given the role model I unfortunately had in my dad.  So I left for a trip to Europe to try and get things sorted.  I had invited Blanche to come with, but she stayed home with her job and ended up getting caught up in this crazy adventure, which turned into a bit of a nightmare for all of us.

Blanche: *smiles at him* But it ended like a wonderful dream.

Brother Leon: Cutting in so you two won't give the end away... 

Bear: I wasn't going to!

Brother Leon: Just the same.  So folks, if you want to find out what the nightmare was and how it turned into a dream and enjoy a little suspense and laughter along the way, check out "Black as Night", available for purchase from http://www.fairytalenovels.com! Handing it back over now to you Rose.

Rose: Oh great!  Hey everyone I -

Brother Leon: Not you!  The other Rose!


Rose: Awww drat.


Thank you Brother Leon, you three did a very good job with this review.  Such a good job that I really don't have anything to add other than why this book is my favorite.

For quite a while after "Waking Rose" came out, it was my favorite book.  After all, it was full of great things that you'll hear about when I do a review on it, plus the main character was Rose!  Then I joined the forum as one of the zillion Rose's on there and shared in the general fan excitement over Fish and Rose... and then I started to feel a little bad for Blanche and Bear.  Rose and Fish are wonderful people and I love them dearly, but they do tend to overshadow their older siblings!  I re-re-read "Black as Night" and rediscovered a wonderful, beautiful, entrancing story that all-too-often gets hidden behind "The Shadow of the Bear" and "Waking Rose".  And to add to that - this book has Brother Leon!  I will say unreservedly that Brother Leon is my most favorite Fairy Tale Novels character ever, and the main reason why "Black as Night" get's first place on my list.  He's funny, compassionate, brave, get's a gun pointed at him and knocked out by a stack of school desks getting pushed on him (yeah... you have to be in danger of death or at least knocked unconscious at least once in your life to get into my favorite character club) and he's just amazing!

So if you haven't read "Black as Night" ever or it's been a while since you've picked it up, I give you my full and hearty encouragement to go and do so now.

The Shadow of the Bear

I've wanted to do reviews on The Fairy Tale Novels for a while, but I always felt that there wasn't a point 'cause most of my readers already know about the books.  But I decided recently that not necessarily all of my followers know about the books, I enjoy reading reviews about books I've read so maybe other people will too and it shall be book review writing practice.  So here it goes the first review...

Once upon a time in New York City, there was a little house that stood in the midst of the forest of houses, streetlights, high rises and skyscrapers.   In the little house lived a widow named Jean Brier and her two daughters, Blanche and Rose.

Blanche: Hello.

Rose: Hey there!  I'm Rose and this is my older sister Blanche. Oh wait... the review author already introduced us.  Sorry.  Continue!

Thank you.

Now their lives were rather dull and ordinary, they went to their -

Rose: Hey, we are not dull and ordinary!  How can life be dull and ordinary when there is so much to it!

I meant more in the sense that you didn't have any friends and spent your time at school or at home.

Rose: Oh.  Well I wouldn't consider no friends as having a dull life!  But yeah, you have a point... but then we met Bear!

I was just about to say that.

Their lives where NOT dull and ordinary, they merely did not have any friends until one wintry night when their mother was late in returning...

Rose: Blanche, this person talks so funny!

Blanche: ROSE!

Alright fine Miss Rose.  Since you don't seem to like my style of writing, you write the review!

Rose: Oh sure!  Wait - review?

Blanche: Of "The Shadow of the Bear", the book we're in?

Rose: HOLLY CANDLES SISTER!  WE'RE IN A BOOK????

Blanche: Yes...

Rose: COOL!  Hey, review writer ... um... you there?  Drat, she left.  Okay, well, like the girl said, we didn't really have any friends until one night when my mom was coming home late she almost got hit by this car and she fell and dropped all the grocheries.  That's when we met Bear.  

Blanche:  Bear had dragged mother out of the way of the car and then helped her bring in the groceries to our house.  It had been really cold that day, and Bear didn't have very good shoes on, so Mom made him come in so she could check for frostbite.

Rose: Mom's a nurse so she knows all about that stuff.  So there he was... a mysterious stranger in our living room with a bewildered face and dreadlocks.

Blanche: The dreadlocks were bewildered?

Rose: No, his face was and he had dreadlocks.  I thought him quite nice, especially after he quoted "The Ballad of the White Horse".  Ah, poetry!


Blanche: I didn't trust him though.  You see, at Saint Catharine, the school Rose and I went to, some of the kids did drugs and I was sure I had seen him hanging out with them.  I found out later that I was right - Bear did hang out with them, but not for the reasons I thought he did.


Rose: No indeed.  He was a prince in disguise, hunting down an evil dwarf and we unsuspecting maidens were soon caught up in a whirl of events beyond our control that came to a climax when - 


Blanche: Rose, you can't tell them what happens.  This is a book review, not the book itself.


Rose: Oh of course.  So if you want to find out what happens, read "The Shadow of the Bear" by Regina Doman.  Blanche, what comes in next in a book review?


Blanche: Usually the reviewer talks about what they enjoyed the most or what potential readers will enjoy, what knowledge and insight they can gain from the main characters...


Rose: Awkward. Umm... much can be learned from my lovely, vibrant personality and uh...

Alright, I'll help you out with this part.

One of the great things about The Shadow of the Bear is it's universal appeal.  It's written with a very Catholic perspective, but I have Protestant friends who love it as much as I do.  The main characters are two girls and the book is from their perspective, but guys enjoy it as well.  It is written for teen readers, but my mom and grandma have read all the books.  There is something for everyone here.  Romance. Adventure.  Mystery.  Faith.
If you are looking for a exciting new book to read, I highly recommend "The Shadow of the Bear".

Blanche: And keep your eye out for updates on the movie too! http://theshadowofthebear.blogspot.com/

Rose: NOW THERE'S A MOVIE!?!?!  Catch me Blanche, I think I'm going to faint!

Alex O' Donnell and the 40 Cyberthieves

When you get a series of books featuring awesome heroes, it's inevitable that a main theme of discussion among the fan girls is "Which hero would you want to marry?/Who do you think you would go the best with?"  It can be a bit hard to choose, Bear, Fish and Paul are all such great guys!  Most girls though seem to have a pretty decided preference one way or another though.

But for me, that popular question has been difficult.  How could I decide between Bear and Fish?  Maybe a combination of the two?  Or Paul would be a nice guy... but I don't know... none of them seem to work!

With the release of Alex O'Donnell, however, I've finally found my guy.  The type of guy that I hope my future husband is like.
Alex is just one of the reasons why I fell in love with Regina Doman's latest release - based on the tale of "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves".  The other reasons... well, I suggest you read the book itself... but until you can get your copy, here's a little bit about it.

Alex O'Donnell is a fun, up-beat, slightly off the wall kinda guy who spent most of his college years goofing off.  He's head over heels for Kateri and wants to propose, but isn't quite sure of her opinion, and he doesn't want to take that step if she's going to say no.  So in the meantime, he'll keep sending her fun presents and being a 'good boyfriend'.

Kateri Kovach is nearly his exact opposite.  A serious, practical, look-before you leap kind of girl and not so sure that she should be dating Alex.  He's not the type of guy she had imagined in a spouse... and she just doesn't think either of them are ready for anything more serious than dating.

Alex writes to Kateri in New Jersey, asking her to come and visit him and his family in Northern Virginia.  He misses her, and he wants her nearby so he can work on winning her heart completely.  At her mom's encouragement, Kateri reluctantly makes the trip down - and then it happens.

Kateri arrives to find the O'Donnell family has just received over a million dollars from a mysterious agency. No one knows how they got it, but the funny thing is, Mr. O'Donnell won't let any of the family investigate into the source of their mysterious good fortune.  Uneasy, Kateri wonders just what Mr. O'Donnell seems to be hiding.  She grows close to Alex's mother though, and when the family takes what seems to her a tremendously foolish risk in buying a hotel she finds herself somehow in the position of Assistant Manager.

What follows next is an exciting twist of events and sword fights and not just one, but forty villains and a wonderfully romantic climax.

With some authors, after about the third or fifth book their plot lines and stories all start to sound a lot alike.  Regina however creates something new every time, and Alex O'Donnell and the 40 CyberThieves is no disappointment.  I loved how we actually get to see a FTN couple while they are dating, we've never gotten to see that before, and I enjoyed watching Kateri and Alex work out their relationship with each other.  They nearly fall apart once or twice... but to quot Elenatintil "oh the ending!  *sighs*".

I encourage you all, dear readers, to order this book or borrow it from a friend as soon as you have the opportunity to.  And while you do so, I shall finish re-reading my already beloved copy -

while I wait for that someday when my Alex will come.

The Civil War Books of Jeff Shaara

It never ceases to amaze me how people can only read a book through once. As hard to believe as it sounds, I know such people exist, because my mother is one of them.  She used to question why on earth my sisters and I would want to buy a book we've already read, now I think she just shakes her head in bewildered resignation.

But with a good book, a truly good book, once through is just not enough.  No matter how many times I re-read my favorites, something new always jumps out at me.  I always close the cover with some revelation that I had not realized before.  A new perspective, new symbolism, new insight into the characters.  Sometime it's a slight gain, sometimes I sit back and go "Wow!  I never knew that!"; it's like a whole new book.

I have been reading to beloved old favorites of mine lately, and so I thought I would take the opportunity to share them with you.   They are "Gods and Generals" and "The Last Full Measure".  Written by Jeff Shaara, son of author Michael Shaara ["Killer Angels"], they complete the tale of the Civil War that "Killer Angels" began.

As much as I love them and want other to read them, I am afraid that they will be... unappealing to the casual reader who is just prowling about for a fast paced, action packed, adventure novel to read.  These books are certainly action packed - I mean, it's the Civil War and therefore it would follow that there be battles and action - but the pace does drag a bit in between the battles, while Shaara gives a narrative of the armies movements - or non-movement, as the case may be.

Yet Shaara makes up for those lulls in the story by bringing the characters of history vividly to life.  By the time you reach only the half-way point, you feel like you know these people, that you could look up from reading and they'd be standing there across the room from you.  That is what made me fall in love with these works of historical fiction, and that is why I read them over and over again.

I'm not shy about saying that I would not be the lover of Civil War history that I am today if it were not for the Shaara's Civil War books, "Gods and Generals" in particular.  I read "Killer Angels" first, and liked it, but it wasn't until I saw the movies "Gods and Generals" and "Gettysburg" [the film version of 'Killer Angels'], directed by Ron Maxwell that I fell in love with them.  I ran and borrowed the book "Gods and Generals" from the library and fell further in love still.  They opened my eyes to a period in American history that I had glossed over before.  I met great and heroic men that I otherwise never would have met, or maybe never even really heard about.

Another, slightly trivial, reason why I love reading these books (and the reason why I prefer reading them over "Killer Angels") is Jeff Shaara's writing style.  All authors have their own writing style, of course, but I've never read anyone else who had a style quite like Shaara's.  I've given it quite a bit of thought, and I think the reason why it is different is because it just flows... the words come out naturally, particularly the dialogue.  Actually, now that I think about it, it is the dialogue that makes it unique.  When the characters speak, think, Shaara puts pauses in their sentences, natural pauses.
I suppose the best way to describe it would be to quote the book.  (Hang on while I try and pick just one paragraph...)                                                                                              

He let go of the flag and fell forward, his hands in the mud, and now there were hands under his arms, lifting him up, pulling him back.  He looked at the faces of the young men staring down at him, said "Thank you... I am shot."
He tried to see across the creek, to sit up, but there was no strength, and he looked again at his side, thought, Too much... too much blood... you are dying.

So maybe this whole discussion is irrelevant to a review, but hey, aren't reviews about what the reviewer thinks of the book?  So yes, his style is... very unique.  Actually, it's so unique it is can be quite annoying, because by the time I've read a quarter of the book, Shaara's style of narrating, talking, thinking is so ingrained in my sub-cranium that I start narrating my thoughts.  No, not only do I start to write everything Shaara style, I start to think Shaara style.  My thoughts go into third person!  It is... annoying.  (That last sentence was my exact thought when I was thinking about not thinking in Shaara style.  It didn't work.)

I should note that a less than desirable side-effect of thinking in Shaara is that all the 'd--ms' jump in every once in a while as well.  But lest you be concerned that I am hiding something from you in my review, d--m is the only swearing in the book.

Going back to my opening statement, about seeing things in a new light or gleaning something new... I think that this time through, what I got out of them the most was a greater empathy for the emotions of the main characters.  I could understand better how frustrated General Hancock was when the commanders of his army just wouldn't move, would give pointless orders, or would run away when they didn't need to.  I felt a greater understanding of the loss the Confederates took when Jackson died, what that meant to the army, what it meant to Lee.  I was able to grasp the shock of Stuart's death, wondering myself how he could just - be killed.  When Chamberlain was promoted to Brigadier General, I knew some of the excitement he must have felt, because I couldn't keep the smile off of my own face.  This time through, these people became even more real to me and more beloved, and I hadn't known that was possible.

So that is my love story with Jeff Shaara's Civil War books.  The next time you are looking for a good, solid, meaningful read, read Shaara.  It's so cool and satisfying to read a novel, and for once, you don't have to wish that the characters were real, because they are.

Now I could leave you with that last paragraph, which makes a veddy good closing paragraph if I do say so myself... but I just have to tell you about something that happened to me this past week, while I was in the depths of "Gods and Generals".  This will attest to 1) the overpowering power of Jeff Shaara's narrative style and 2) my own delicious insanity.
Setting: I was making sweet tea to have with dinner, and I was pouring it into a larger pitcher, these words popped into my head unexpected and unbidden...
(Note, this was my thought, word for word).

"The dark brown liquid flowed out, clear and strong.  She placed the spoon in the pitcher, stirred it around in a swirl."

I promptly hit myself in the head and laughed for about five minutes... then kept thinking in Shaara.

The Salvation of the World

Today is a day I look forward to for two reasons, (don't you, too?)  First, today is The Feast of the Annunciation - the day when the Angel Gabriel came to a young girl named Mary and asked her to be the Mother of Our Lord, thus setting in motion the final steps to the salvation of the world.

The second reason is another celebration... a fictional one, I will admit, but a celebration non the less.  For today in Lord of the Rings history is the day that Sauron's Ring was destroyed, thus bringing about the salvation of Middle Earth.

As a devout Catholic and an avid Lord of the Rings fan, I am always overjoyed at how well these two loves go together.  Tolkien was a devout Catholic and this is very evident in his works.  But I'm sure you know that already, so I'll just cut to the quick and share with you some beautiful Catholic analogies (note, I said analogies, not allegories) and 'co-incidences' that I and my fellow Tolkien-fanatic friends have uncovered.

The Beginning of a New Year
This morning my dear friend, whom I shall call 'Flora Gamgee' gave me a call, first to wish me a Happy Annunciation, and secondly to bid me a Happy Destruction of the Ring Day.  During the course of our conversation, she told me that she just found out that in the traditional Catholic calendar, the liturgical year began today - March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation.  Appropriate, since the Annunciation is when God's plan for our salvation was set in to play.
Now, Tolkien would have known about this fact and so I find it of great and exciting interest that he picked March 25th as the day the Ring would be destroyed.  From that day forth "in Gondor the New Year will always now begin upon the twenty-fifth of March when Sauron fell." - Return of the King

The Seven Sacraments
Back in January, I spent the night at another Tolkien-friends house and spent at least an hour and forty-five minutes discussing the Lord of the Rings.  (Oh, heaven!)  We could have talked longer... but decided that as it was about two in the morning we probably get at least some sleep - given the fact that we had to get up early the next... er, that morning.
"Well, I expect that I shall go on sleeping, whether I drop off or no.  And the less said the sooner I'll drop off, if you get my meaning." - Samwise Gamgee
The prevalent theme of our discussion was the analogies contained in the Lord of the Rings.  We are firm believers that there are no direct allegories, because Tolkien said so himself that he detested allegories.  However, I do believe and contend that there are many analogies - how could there not be, with such a devoted Catholic as the author? 
One of the allegories we discussed were the presence of the Seven Sacraments.  To tell the truth, we only found six, but we are sure the seventh is hiding in there somewhere.

Baptism
"Frodo heard the splash of water.  It foamed about his feet.  He felt the quick heave and surge as the horse left the river... He was across the Ford. ... 'By Elbereth and Luthien the Fair', said Frodo with a last effort, lifting up his sword, ' you shall have neither the Ring nor me!' ... the black horses were filled with madness, and leaping forward in terror they bore their riders into the rushing flood.  Their piercing cries were drowned in the roaring of the river as it carried them away." - The Fellowship of the Ring
  
For those who are not familiar with the Catholic Sacrament of Baptism, the candidate renounces Satan and all his evil works, is immersed in or has the water poured over his head and the black stains of Original Sin are washed away, in much the same way that Frodo rides through the river, tells the servants of Sauron to go away and the Black Riders being swept away by the flood.  (There are other actions involved - such as the anointing with oil and lighting the baptismal candle, but as they do not directly pertain to the analogy I am trying to demonstrate, I did not mention them.)


Confession 
"Aragorn knelt beside him.  Boromir opened his eyes and strove to speak.  At last slow words came. 'I tried to take the Ring from Frodo,' he said.  'I am sorry.  I have paid.'" - The Two Towers
 
This analogy is not quite as obvious in the books, but has a beautiful representation in the movies, particularly when Aragorn makes an almost Sign of the Cross-like gesture and blesses Boromir. (I am sure the filmmakers were quite unaware of any similarities.  But that makes it all the cooler!)  Boromir is dying after having tried to take the Ring from Frodo, and then defending Merry and Pippin from the orcs.  Aragorn finds him, and Boromir confesses to him what he has done.  As Aragorn consoles him, telling him that he is forgiven, Boromir dies.

Holy Communion
"Often in their hearts they thanked the Lady of Lórien for the gift of lembas, for they could eat of it and find new strength even as they ran." - The Two Towers
"The lembas had a virtue without which they would long ago have lain down to die.... it fed the will, and it gave strength to endure, and to master sinew and limb beyond the measure of mortal kind." - The Return of the King

As much has already been written on the similarities of the lembas bread and the Eucharist - it being the more obvious of the analogies -  I will not add my own interpretation here.  I will only say... wow.  Is that last quote amazing or what?

Confirmation
"'We have drunk the cup of parting," she said, 'and the shadows fall between us.  But before you go, I have brought in my ship gifts which the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim now offer you in memory of Lothlorien.'" - The Fellowship of the Ring

This is another of the more hidden ones, but it is no less beautiful for it being hidden.  While Galadriel is not like a Bishop, or the Holy Spirit, she most certainly was inspired to give her gifts to the Fellowship.  Nine gifts, gifts that would strengthen and help each bearer in one way or another in their struggle against the evil of Sauron.

Matrimony
"And Aragorn the King Elessar wedded Arwen Undomiel in the City of the Kings upon the day of Midsummer, and the tale of their long waiting and labours was come to fulfillment."
And so it was settled.  Sam Gamgee married Rose Cotton in the Spring of 1420 (which was also famous for its weddings), and they came and lived at Bag End." - The Return of the King


I don't think I need to explain this one very much, do I? ;)  As we all know, Aragorn and Arwen, Faramir and Eowyn and Sam and Rosie were all married and all had long and beautiful lives together.

Holy Orders
Now I must confess that this is the Sacrament we are stumped on.  We are quite sure there is an analogy somewhere, but have not quite found it yet.  Any help?
Perhaps though... we are looking at this the wrong way... Read the later section titled "A Priest and a Deacon" and then give me your thoughts on the matter.

Anointing of the Sick
"So at last Faramir and Eowyn and Meriadoc were laid in beds in the Houses of Healing; and there they were tended well.
'The hands of the king are the hands of a healer.'" - The Return of the King

The Houses of Healing were a place in the city of Minas Tirith where those who were ill or dying were brought to be healed.  Many could be cured by ordinary means, but some required the special touch of the King.  It reminds me of how we often fall ill, but sometimes we need this sacrament, the healing of the King, to help us through our illness.  The beauty of it is that the Anointing of the Sick (formerly called 'The Last Rites') provides spiritual healing as well - just as Faramir and Eowyn were also healed of spiritual ailments in the Houses. 

A Priest and A Deacon
I cannot take credit for discovering either of the following analogies, having been informed myself by my friend Flora Gamgee and the other friend I mentioned who does not have a name.  Hmmm... I need to tell her to fix that.
While at the sleepover with my nameless friend, she mentioned that in ways Frodo was like a priest and Sam like a deacon.  Frodo had his specific task he was given, just as the priest has his.  Sam, as with the deacon, could not do Frodo's task for him - but he could help him to accomplish it.  Also, in case you never noticed, Frodo does not get married, just as a priest cannot, while Sam does.  (It is permissible for a deacon to be married, though technically they have to get married before they become a deacon.  Which is why these are analogies, not allegories.)

Finally, something that Flora pointed out to me that I found quite fascinating.  Before Frodo and Sam start their journey up Mount Doom (which has been likened to Christ's journey up Calvary) they eat the last bit of their food, they have their Last Supper.  As Frodo journey's up the mountain, bowed down with the weight of his burden, he stumbles and falls until at last he can go no further.  Then Sam helps by picking up Frodo and carrying him until he has the strength to go on.  (Simon of Cyrene, anyone?)

At that point the similarities stop, as Frodo gives in to the Ring's power.  But that is only natural.  Frodo was human - er, hobbit - and was able to give into temptation.  As I said before, that's why these are analogies and not allegories.  While some might discredit the imperfect fit of what I have just outlined, to me the fact that these incidents are not perfect fits, are not allegorical makes them that much more beautiful and fascinating.

So one these two special days - one Catholic, the other fictional - I hope I have given you something to ponder and marvel at the beauty of God's creation.  Thank you for bearing with me in my very long post.  =)

Nai haryuvalyë melwa rë!

(May you have a lovely day)

~ Silmarien

Show those executives what you care about!

Many thanks to Elenatintil for bringing this to my attention!

Apparently to increase awareness and excitement for their new film "2012" - involving the end of the world - Sony is doing a poll titled "What Would You Take With You In 2012"?

Well, as far as books go, Twilight and Harry Potter outrank the BIBLE! Even The Lord of the Rings does. (But just barely.)

Something needs to be done about this. I ask you all to go right now and vote on that poll - putting The Bible as your first pick. No personal information is needed, so you have no excuse.

http://www.sonypictures.net/movies/2012/preservationlist/

The Anti-Muffin Award

"Kittens are muffins in ovens and puffins."

Suzy interrupted and said, "They'd all have to be exactly alike, each one just like the other, instead of all different like Prunewhip's kittens."

John said, suddenly serious, "I'd hate that. But that's what a lot of people want - everybody the same like a row of muffins."
~ from "Meet the Austins"


One of the many book's i've read over the summer was "Meet The Austins" by Madeline L'Engle. It's quite a charming and ofttimes funny tale, one that i recommend if you're looking for a fun, light read.

Anyhows, in the midst of the book is a chapter with a most intriguing title: "The Anti-Muffins". You see, the Austin children have a club - the anti-muffin club.

"Uncle Douglas says it will help us avoid the dangers of conformity."

Izz lay on her back... "Your Uncle Douglas is nice, but most of the time I don't know what he's talking about."

"All he means is that you shouldn't be afraid to be yourself, even if it means being different."


And so that inspired me to create a blogging award for those bloggers out there who are decidedly "Anti-Muffins". Bloggers who promote what they believe without hesitation and without fear of possible negative feedback. Bloggers who don't conform to the world's standards. Bloggers like...

Signa Veritae
Catholic Discussion
Catholicism Rediscovered
Lily Maiden
The Catholic Young Women
Victory Rose for Christ
Totus Tuus

Enjoy your award and be sure to pass it along to bloggers who you think are Anti-Muffins too!

The Hidden Hand

Always on the lookout for something new to read, I naturally accepted when a friend of mine offered to lend me a book of theirs, saying that they felt sure I would enjoy it.

Did I ever! The first comment I have to make is that I've found when the book has an interesting Preface to it, the book is bound to be really interesting! It's not often that you are hooked on the story by reading the preface, but I confess that I was! Mark Hamby - apparently the Chief Editor for the Rare Collector's Series - captured my interest by describing about how he kept going back and forth about reprinting this book in the series. How he'd read something that would make him decide he couldn't possibly include it and then a while later on read something that impressed upon him that he couldn't possibly not include it. Needless to say, by the end of the one page Preface, I was curious to discover what about this book made him change his mind so many times!

The book opens on a dark, stormy and wild winter night with an equally stormy, wild, and wintery old man nicknamed - appropriatly enough - "Old Hurricane". Despite his thornyness I took to him and enjoyed reading the descriptions of his (many) outbursts of temper. Old Hurricane is called,er dragged away as he would have put it, on this dark night by the preacher to a dying old woman's bedside. ("There - I knew it! i was just aying there might be an old woman dying!") As Justice of the Peace however, he has to go and does so. The woman turns out to be a midwife whom had disappeared some 13 years ago.

She relates the story to a now avidly interested Old Hurricane and proceeds to die soon afterwards. The startling nature of the tale sends Old Hurricane off to New York in search of the midwife's charge. He insists upon going alone, much to the comical dismay of his servants who are convinced the old man has taken it into his head to find himself a young lady to marry.

Old Hurricane arrives safe and sound in New York and soon finds the object of his search. Enter Capitola, a delightfully black haired, mischevous, heroic heroine as you could ever hope to find. Just as to why Old Hurricane resolved upon finding the young girl and bringing her back to Virgina with him is something you shall have to read the book for in order to find out. Rest assured however, Capitola does not marry Old Hurricane.

The rest of the book follows in an interesting, exciting, and occaisonally somewhat complex manner. Up until chapter 24 I admit I was terribly confused as to who everyone was and how they were connected, but my younger sister (who also read it) informs me that she was not confused in the least and my confusion must have due to the fact that I stayed up until 10:30 with a headache reading. Perhaps some truth in that...

The Hidden Hand, by E.D.E.N. (Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte) Southworth is my latest reading recomendation to those who don't have anything to read and especially for those who do. I'd say it's suitable for 12 on up to 120. (Most people don't live past then, which is why I stop there.) It is available from Barnes & Noble as well as from Amazon, as well as being available to read online here. How more convienent could reading a good book get?

The Return of the Triumphant

All's well in the world of books! I was positively radiant, $45 in Barnes & Nobel's gift cards for Christmas!!!! Sheer rapture!!!! So we went there today and we also FINALLY went to... THE CHIROPRACTOR!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We haven't been there in two months or something, and we've tried to get there the past two weeks, failure both times. The first time, two weeks ago, there was horrible weather and we couldn't get out. Last week, ugh! Last week we were almost there and low and behold - our tire went flat! So this older guy came out of this store and tried to help us with the tire. He managed to get it on and then two other guys showed up and helped him tighten the lug nuts. Well for some reason it didn't look right or whatever *fast forwards* We try to back out, the car won't go, popping sound, mom hops out of car, tire flat again. Fast forwards half an hour, discover that the tire somehow got put on backwards, fast forwards, discover that the brake broke! NO VAN!!! Big bill. Nine people in six passenger car the whole way home. Yippee.

But now it is fixed and we all get to go to chiropractor today FINALLY!!!! Third time's the charm ya know!

So then we go to noon mass, get lunch and go to er, 'Barnes and Bellyboots [!?!] Booksmellers' as my younger siblings christend it. (Why!????) So we had an interesting and hysterical discussion about smelling books as we were walking from the car to the front door.

So my conquests for today were this very pretty bookmark, a daily calender with quotes from Great Books and The Complete and Unabridged Alexandre Dumas: The Count of Monte Christo - The Three Musketeers - The Man in the Iron Mask all for ONLY $12.99!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!! I almost fell over when I saw the price. I could not imagine not buying it. (To impress this wonder upon you, this is three books, all in ONE volume HARD cover! Not soft!!!!) WOW!!! And I only used $23 of my 45 so I can go back again!!!! I am very very happy.

In closing, alas, I did not spot any step stools with strange signs, but then again... I ashamedly confess I forgot to look.
Speaking of strange signs, we once saw a Jiffy Lube sign that said "My Boss told me to change the sign, so I did."
But that doesn't beat the bag of almonds that had - in tiny print - 'may contain almonds'.

"I Will Take the Ring" - The Fiat of Frodo

Anne Marie, from The Road Through Middle-Earth, again graciously allowed me to reprint another one of her moving, thought provoking and wonderfully Catholic posts. I encourage you all to follow her blog and read her posts - which really are meditations - whether or not you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings. Since it is rather a lengthy post, I have only put part of it on my blog and included a link to the rest, which can be found on Anne Marie's blog. Please read and enjoy!

"We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph. 2:10).

Frodo could have said no when the Secret Fire, the Holy Spirit, presented him his vocation. All he had to do was remain silent. The Voice was heard within his own heart and soul. He could have remained still. The Virgin Mary could have said no at the Annunciation. She was alone when the angel visited her. But God had prepared His children well and had molded their souls in such a way all their lives for this one moment, though they knew it not. It was their humility that allowed them to submit themselves to the Will of a Power which in Frodo’s case, he doesn’t even know. His heart and soul recognized their Maker, though, and said yes.

God knows our answer even before we do, but He gives us the free will to choose that answer. "...what you are to say will be given to you when the times comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you" (Mt 10:19-20). Frodo felt very much like "some other will was using his small voice", but it was still his choice to let that other Will speak through him. God has such respect for that that He doesn’t force us to do anything even though He knows it would benefit us and/or others. He allows for abortion and abuse and all sorts of hatred and violence because in the end, even our evil choices, though we may thwart Him in one turn, He will still bring good out of them in another way. He asks for our free consent to His good Will, but He doesn’t coerce us as the Ring bludgeoned Frodo when it could no longer seduce him.

It takes great courage and sacrifice to say yes aloud when we are screaming no inside, to totally surrender ourselves to Someone else, to give up control and say "I am yours; do with me as You will." But it is in that crucible that we discover ourselves to be who we truly are meant to be: the person God has already seen us becoming if we say yes, the one He has loved from all eternity. He knows that we are weak, but He deliberately chooses the weak so His Power can shine through all the more clearly. He has no use for the self-proclaimed strong of the world. Frodo is among the myriad others who would have much rather not been chosen since they did not felt equal to the task God was asking of them. But He Who had fashioned them and knew them better than they knew themselves, knew they were equal, not on their own strength, but on the strength that He would provide with His grace. Both could have said no, indeed Cardinal Ratzinger before he became Pope Benedict XVI begged God not to choose him, as Jesus had prayed to be spared His agony, but both hobbit and man submitted and surrendered their own wills to God’s Will, as did Jesus. Like Mary would say millennia later at the Annunciation, they said, "Fiat" - "Let it be done."

In speaking of this and the choices that confront us all, Cheryl Forbes said in an article for Christianity Today, "We choose to be chosen."(12/19/75, p. 12). The choice Frodo made at the Council, he made again and again with every breath and step he took toward Mordor. Mary said it many times, even at the Cross, watching her Son die in agony. Surrender is not a one-time event that does not need to be repeated, but an ongoing, continuous one that has to be embraced every day, every moment. Under the coercive pressure of the Ring, Frodo said no several times along the way and at the end, as we all do at times, but he said yes many, many more times and we must also.

"I will take the Ring, though I do not know the way." As Peter Kreeft says, these are the "sacramental, operative words that set in motion the only power that can conquer Sauron..." ("Wartime Wisdom: Ten Uncommon Insights About Evil in The Lord of the Rings" in Celebrating Middle-earth, p. 39).

Though Frodo’s heart quails to contemplate the terrible journey before him, he still accepts that it has been "ordained" and "appointed" that he walk the dark Road that is ahead. We are not placed when and where we are by accident. There is a plan and purpose for everything. We may not see it at once or maybe not even until we pass from this life, but there is a reason all happens as it does. God has an intent for all of us and we must be ready when He calls us. We have been given experiences, been molded and shaped a particular way, given specific interests and abilities, set in a particular place and time, along specific roads just so we are where we need to be at the time we need to be. We have the freedom to say no also to all this careful, deliberate planning, such is God’s gift to us, but if we say no, then we will not be performing what we were made to do. "[I]f you do not find a way, no one will," Elrond tells Frodo after Frodo has embraced his vocation. God has created us for a particular purpose and if we don’t do it then that job may not get done, that part of the Song not heard. St. Padre Pio once had a vision of a woman’s son when she came to the priest for confession. He grew greatly agitated and told the woman he had seen her son. When she denied having one, he told her... Read the rest here

A Quiet Little Woman: A Christmas Story, by Louisa May Alcott.

These past few weeks, the Theater Troupe I belong to has been preparing a short skit adapted from Lousia May Alcott's story A Quiet Little Woman. We performed it on Tuesday for a woman's group, who was celebrating their 50th anniversary. Here are some pictures (taken by my mother) from the performance.
The story is about an orphan girl named Patty, who just wants to find "luxury, pleasure, rest and comfort". Jane's brother and his wife later adopt Patty as a servant in their household. A year passes, without love for Patty from the family, and many letters from Miss Jane. Christmas comes around, and Aunt Jane and the Murrays all go out to see the Nutcracker. Jane is upset when she realizes that the Murrays left Patty at home and is irritated at their attitude towards her. On the way home, she reads the Murrays some of Patty's letters, and the Murrays all realize for the first time the little girl who had been thirsting for love and belonging in their home. The next day, Christmas Day, they all surprise her with a stocking filled with presents and - more importantly to Patty - a place in their hearts and homes. Aunt Jane also has a surprise for Patty; she is friends with the dancers from the Nutcracker who come to the house and do a little dance for them all.
The story ends with Patty thanking God for all that he has given her, and sharing with Aunt Jane that she doesn't want riches and pleasures anymore, her new family is all she could ever want.

Me, as Mrs. Maria Murrey. My mom overheard one lady say "That mom is a real witch!" *cries* Well, at least she meant the character and not me! And really, I don't think Mrs. Murray was a witch, she was just treating her servants the way she'd been taught.

"Oh I wish someone would come and adopt me... I am pale skinny, and very shy. With my crooked shoulder, I'm afraid no one will ever want me."

"Can't you make friends and fortunes for yourself?"
"How can I?"
"By cheerfully taking whatever comes your way.... and by wasting no time in dreaming about what may happen, but bravely making each day a comfort and pleasure to those around you."

"They are kind to me, yet no one loves me. ...no one notices anything but a servant girl."



"At home of course, where else would she be? Goodness, you didn't expect for us to bring her too!"
"I did! ...If the show wasn't about to begin, I'd go and get her myself."

"Oh hush, the Nutcracker is about to begin!"

"Patty is a dull, steady going girl who is suited for a servant but no more!"

"Now listen all of you... 'I am grateful, but oh! I'm so lonely.... I know I am not attractive, but my crooked shoulder is always being made fun of... I can't help that part of me."

"I think we all see Patty in a different way, now that Aunt Jane has read us her letters."
"I know that whatever we decide to do I want to change and make things better in the new year."

"Oh look, she is sleeping on the floor! What a pretty little sight, even if it is the kitchen floor."


"Is it really you? I was so afraid you wouldn't come, I cried myself to sleep!"

""For me? Oh, you all do care for me!"

"Christmas is the time for all sorts of pleasant miracles, and I have a surprise too..."

"...since you didn't get to see the performance last evening, they [the dancers] have agreed to come and do a little dance for you."

"Will you still be dreaming of friends that are to come for you someday with fortunes in their pockets?"
"No Ma'am, I feel as if I found my folks. I don't want any finer fortune than the love they've given me today."

The End.

From Left to right:
Mrs. Murray (me), my daughter Ella and my daughter Joan.

Mrs. Murray and Patty
(AKA me and my sister 'Yaviel'.)

This Advent and Christmas season, be sure to look around for those who want love, but have no one to give it to them. You don't need to look far and wide either, all to often, some of the people who want or need love the most are right under our noses.

One Ring to Rule Them All

This is a blog post written by a beautiful young Catholic lady on the blog "The Road Through Middle-Earth". Her blog is devoted to the works of Tolkien, which she is reading through and then commenting on the chapters and events from the books on her blogs. I have been following it ardently, and enjoy reading her wonderful... meditations. Her writing have made me look at the Hobbit and the Fellowship (the only ones she has been writing about so far) in a entirely new and wonderful way. She has graciously given me permission to re-publish this post that she wrote when she began reading the Fellowship of the Ring. Please take the time to read it, and then why don't you check out the rest of her blog as well?

The tone is quickly changing and will become ever darker, but illuminated with many moments of grace that will come fast and furious at times. There are lighter moments still though. I think of Frodo, standing there under the stars, so very beautiful, lit by his own self-contained moonlight and what a wonderful marvel that would have been to behold. Here we are also introduced to Sam's love of Elves.

The meat of the chapter though is Gandalf's catechism lesson to Frodo about the Ring and about pity. The orc attack drove Bilbo into the tunnels just in time to find the Ring is termed in the Prologue to this tale to be seemingly an "accident" and the finding of the Ring to be "mere luck". But there are no "accidents" in God’s plans. Everything and everyone is carefully placed, even those who are not aware they have been. Free will is not interfered with, but used to God’s greater glory as the Great Music continues to play out. Hearts are fashioned so they will respond freely in the fashion God knows from all time that they will. When the Ring leaves Gollum, in response to its master’s call, God makes sure Bilbo is there to put down his hand in the dark and find it. He does not stop the call from being sent out from Sauron, but once more, he sends a hobbit to ‘intercept’ that call as He had with Déagol & Sméagol. It was not Bilbo’s choice to find the Ring, nor was it was the choice of the Ring to find Bilbo. The frightened hobbit had no idea what it was or what value it had. It was just a pretty little thing and he found it useful. He was not aware that he was an instrument of the One. Only much after the fact does Gandalf, Frodo and the rest of us learn how fateful that journey in the dark truly was. When Bilbo stays his hand from slaying Gollum, he does not know that he is laying some very important groundwork for the destruction of the Ring, the future salvation of his beloved nephew and heir, as yet unborn, and, indeed, helping to determine the fate of the entire of Middle-earth. He sees in Gollum the pitiable, horrifying condition of one enslaved to sin and realizes in some dim way, that "there but for the grace of God, go I". Because Bilbo extended that pity, Frodo is later able to learn from it when he takes his own journey and extends it himself to Gollum and even more importantly, Sam learns from Frodo to do it, as Faramir had done earlier. When Frodo first meets Gollum, he sees in the wretched, twisted creature the same thing his beloved uncle had: a reflection of who he could become, just as he reflects Bilbo in pity. Another step is taken toward the destruction of the Ring. He has gone from "What a pity that Bilbo did not stab that vile creature" to "For now that I see him, I do pity him."

The very fact that Bilbo adopted Frodo as his heir is a moment of grace. Even tragedies have their place in the making of who we are and what we are meant to do. If Frodo’s parents hadn’t drowned, then there would have been no need for Bilbo to adopt him and make him his heir, and eventually heir to the Ring; no living so very close to Sam; no setting down roots in the fertile soil of that humble gardener’s loving heart; no blossoming of that beautiful relationship which is so vital to the Quest that it would have failed without it. It is no coincidence that Sam was born the same year Drogo and Primula were drowned. One sees how each piece fits together in the story. How many threads going back decades did God weave into the destruction of the Ring; how many things He guided to happen just at the right time. It is quite amazing actually. Such threads run through our lives also. It is entirely possible that Frodo and Sam would have still met had Frodo’s parents’ lived on to a ripe old age and Bilbo still made him his heir upon leaving for Rivendell, but God chose the way and events He did, for a reason and though we may not understand it all ourselves when tragedies interrupt our lives and lead us off in directions we wouldn’t have otherwise traveled, we have the comfort that God has allowed everything for a reason and ultimately that good will come of it. We just need to have faith and trust that He loves us far more deeply than we can imagine and wills nothing but what will help us come to Him in His heavenly Home which is the home He wishes for us also.

After discovering that Bilbo lied about how he come by the Ring, Gandalf tells Frodo, "I might perhaps have consulted Saruman the White, but something always held me back." There is no time that God is not actively involved in His children’s lives. At the time, Gandalf does not know what prudence held him back from revealing his knowledge of the Ring’s whereabouts, nor did he know that Bilbo’s ring was the Ring, but he trusts in that "still, small voice" that he heard in his heart.

At Gandalf’s behest, Aragorn sought long and hard for Gollum, but in vain and finally on his way home, as he tells the Council of Elrond, "...by fortune, I came suddenly on what I sought: the marks of soft feet beside a muddy pool." Each step is being guided here. We need never to doubt or think that God is not actively, personally involved in our lives. If we are open to His purposes for us, He will guide and guard on the way and reveal bit by bit what we are to do. We need only to surrender ourselves into His Hands, as Aragorn and Gandalf spent a lifetime doing, as Frodo offered himself up to do, though at first he struggles with his vocation and his fear of it.

How many times since he asked "Why was I chosen?" have others echoed him down through the ages with the same protest as he that they were not "made for perilous quests" and have "so little" of heart, wits and courage needed for such grand and dangerous things? Jeremiah, Isaiah, Gideon all protested in one way or another, not understanding at first the call, thinking themselves too young (Jr 4-8), unclean (Is 6:5), too weak (Gideon, Jg 6:12-16). But they all still said in the end: "Here I am, send me" (Is 6:8). They all said as Jesus did during his Agony in the Garden, "Nevertheless, let Your will be done, not mine." (Lk 22:43). They accept they have been chosen and submit themselves to that. Frodo does not realize Who chose him, but he fully acknowledges that he has been chosen, so he is aware, in whatever dim way, there is a Chooser above him Who has selected him. We have been chosen too, each one of us, and the more we surrender control over ourselves to God, the more wonders He can and will work in our lives and we will discover our own unique vocations.

When he is first told of the Ring, Frodo, however, doesn’t want to get involved. He most definitely wants the Ring to be destroyed, the danger to be removed, but he doesn’t want to be the one to do it. It’s very frightening to realize that it’s up to us sometimes to be that instrument of God’s Will to destroy the evil that has sprung up in our time. No wonder he wishes, as we have all at times, "I wish it need not have happening in my time." Moses resisted his call at first. Jonah fled and had to be swallowed by a whale before he accepted his. It is natural for us to resist what seems to be impossible or incredibly dangerous. We don’t like to leave our comfortable lives. Frodo longed for adventures, even for a dragon to come by and shake things up a bit, but he wanted a happy adventure in which he could return happy and whole at the end of it. Destroying the Ring was quite a bit outside his comfort level. Still he learns as we do at times that we may seek adventure, but Quests seek us. By ourselves we can do nothing; with God we can do everything. We can still be broken by our task, but we can be healed by the same One who laid the Cross upon our shoulders and will help us carry it if we let Him. It is not evil that comes from God’s Hand, but love, even when it’s in the form of the Cross, perhaps even especially then: "The Everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross He now presents to you as a gift from His inmost Heart," says the great Bishop, spiritual director and Doctor of the Church, St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622). "This cross He now sends you He has considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with His divine mind, tested with His wise justice, warmed with His loving arms and weighed with His own Hands, to see that it be not one inch too large and not one ounce too heavy for you. He has blessed it with His Holy Name, anointed it with His grace, perfumed it with His consolation, taken one last glance at you and your courage, and then sent it to you from heaven, a special greeting from God to you, an alms of the all-merciful love of God."But He does not ask us to carry our Cross alone. God understands how weak our wills are, how easily we are overcome at times. That is why He sets others at our sides, for there is strength in numbers and when one is weak, the others can be strong and strengthen the one who is faltering. That is why Sam and all the others, and in the end, Sam and Sméagol alone, were placed at Frodo’s side, for he had the greatest burden. "Better two than one by himself, since thus their work is really profitable. If one should fall, the other helps him up; but woe to the man by himself with no one to help him up when he falls down. Again: they keep warm who sleep two together, but how can a man keep warm alone? Where one alone would be overcome, two will put up resistance; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken"(Eccl 4:12). There is no way any one person could have destroyed the Ring. Frodo had many invisible guardians also. We are not alone in our struggles, even if we feel that we are. Jesus had Simon of Cyrene, Frodo had Sam. The saints and martyrs have had others encouraging and strengthening them, even at times Jesus Himself or His Mother. Time and time ago it is shown that "Frodo wouldn’t have got far without Sam" and a third being was needed for the final victory. When we are terrified to accept the burden that we fear will crush our fragile spirits, we should realize from Whose loving Hand it comes from and when we are bowed under the weight and our strength is failing, there will be others to help and God will not abandon us ever. "Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life," counsels St. Francis de Sales. "Rather look to them with full hope that as they arise, God, whose very own you are, will lead you safely through all things;and when you cannot stand it, God will carry you in His arms. Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. The same Everlasting Father who takes care of you today, will take care of you today, and every day. He will either shield you from suffering or will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations."

Sometimes we need to pass through the fire to be tested and there we will find the strength we didn’t know we had. Frodo thought he had "so little" of heart, wisdom and courage but God knew he had a great store of it, as all hobbits do in a crisis. He let the Quest play out as it did so Frodo would know what Frodo was capable of. So He will let our Quests play out so we can discover our strengths. With His help, we will not be found wanting. He will not give us a task that beyond us. He knows what our true strength is and will give us enough grace to accomplish it if we cooperate with Him. Frodo did not fail. He succeeded brilliantly when anyone else would have failed. He was never meant to be Ring-destroyer, since God knew that would be beyond his strength, beyond anyone but Himself. He was present there at the Fire as He had been all along to save Frodo and all Middle-earth when His beloved child’s mortal flesh, will and strength collapsed under the terrible power of the demonic. We are not alone. It is sometimes in the darkness that we can best see the light. Even Jesus was terrified of his coming trials, so God perfectly understands that we feel we are not up to our tribulations or what we fear could be terrible. He knows how our heart quails. But Jesus went on, Frodo went on, the martyrs went on. We need to go on. We are guided and guarded the whole way and though the path may indeed become very dark, the Light will always be there with us, though at times we may not perceive it. Things will be much easier for ourselves if we surrender to Him and let Him work through us. "I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish He didn’t trust me so much," Blessed Mother Teresa said who walked through decades of darkness, faithfully serving her God, though for His own good purposes, He chose to hide His face from her, so she could be a shining example to others of perseverance amidst the terrible night. Frodo is another who has inspired many to walk through their own dark nights. They have all shown by their actions that wisdom of Gandalf's words: "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

Even after Gandalf tells him of the dangers of the Ring, how it will "possess" and "devour" its bearers and will cause him to fade or become invisible permanently if he uses too often and how he would then walk "in the twilight under the eye of the dark power that rules the Rings", Frodo agrees to guard the Ring "whatever it may do to me." He is terrified by Gandalf’s words, but because he doesn’t want anyone else to be harmed by it, he is willing to take that harm himself and try to contain it within himself if he can. At this point he doesn’t truly understand what those words will come to mean to him, what the terrible cost will be, or that he will be asked to bear the Ring much longer than "for the present" which is all his original plan was until someone better, wiser and stronger than he could take it. But he and everyone else will learn that there is no one else better. Once Frodo accepts his vocation, he embraces it fearfully but over time completely. He’s willing to, even expecting to, sacrifice his life. Even before he leaves the Shire, he doesn’t expect to return. Though he does physically, he cannot completely mentally or emotionally. He is not the same person. He sacrificed everything for the Quest. In that crucible of suffering, everything was burned away, including his identity as a happy, innocent, carefree hobbit. He is stripped down to naked will and endurance and clothed in grace. It is that innocence and that grace which enabled him to be the Ring-bearer. Though he hopes at first to be able to leave the Ring at Rivendell and be done with it, he still steps forward and volunteers to take the Ring to Mordor to destroy it, and this when he’s even more aware of its powers and has already almost died bearing it. We may all think we are unequal to a task looming before us, but God will suffuse us with the strength and grace to accomplish it if we are open to accepting it. Frodo was. He succeeded perfectly as Ring-bearer, which is what he was created to do. He was not created to be Ring-destroyer. That was Gollum’s task.

Another lesson that will later bear fruit in Frodo's heart is that he hears Gandalf speak of the small hope for Gollum’s redemption that later enables Frodo’s own hope and efforts for a "cure" for Sméagol. That pity and the lessons learned from the painful presence of the Ring will also in its time extend to Saruman. Gandalf and Galadriel also attempt to convince Saruman to repent, but no avail. Frodo doesn’t want Saruman killed, even after the murderous attack on him at Bag End because even though the cure is beyond them, the Ring-bearer hopes it can be found elsewhere and it won’t be if Saruman is killed. These three recognize that a fallen soul must be given opportunities to redeem itself and they are responsible to extend the offer, though, it’s up to the fallen whether to act upon or not. That Saruman and Sméagol are both unable to come back, the former because of pride, arrogance and hatred, and the latter because his will was not strong enough, is not the fault of those who made the attempt. Frodo, Gandalf and Galadriel are being their "brother’s keeper". It would count toward their credit at judgement that they stretched forth the possibility of redemption. Even though Gandalf considers it, in Saruman’s case, to be "dangerous, and probably useless," he also says "it must be done". It was their responsibility to try while there was hope left as it our responsibility to fraternally correct our erring brethren. Even after nearly 500 years as Ring-bearer, there was still a little Sméagol left in Gollum and that is no small wonder. That is why we should not give up trying to help and praying for the cure of those held in the chains of the Enemy. We can always return when we’ve strayed, though the further into our fall, the harder it will be to rise and return. But "while there’s life, there’s hope" as Sam says, quoting his Gaffer. We will learn in heaven all the good we did. Perhaps someone was saved only through our prayers who would have been lost otherwise, who somehow found the strength to fight their way back to God, out of the darkness into the light.

Gandalf renounces the Ring at Bag End when both Bilbo and Frodo unwittingly tempt him with it because he doesn’t trust himself not to use it if it was in his possession. He is glad when he returns from death that the "deadly peril" of the Ring is no longer something he or anyone else can be tempted to use. Even as Gandalf the White he fears it, perhaps even more so, because his power is greater. Good and strong as he is, he knows he is also weak and that is where his true wisdom and strength lies. It is the wisdom and strength Saruman, his superior, had already abandoned, though no one knows that yet.

Frodo's already growing attachment that will grow to addiction to the Ring is shown here as well.

I love the powerful images also that are here. To name just two, Frodo closing his fist around the Ring to hide it from the dark hand he imagines reaching out to grasp it and him imagining the Fire itself while looking into his own small fire and seeing such great darkness and then coming 'back' to Bag End and being surprised that all is still actually light. He does have a tremendous imagination, doesn't he, quite right for a scribe and lover of tales to have. I wonder if part of his torment though was the Ring taking advantage of that and showing him terrible visions as it consumed him more and more until there was nothing left but itself. It would have done that no matter what but perhaps it would have tormented Frodo more because he had such a lively imagination.