Taking A Trip Down Memory Lane

Memories can be happy, sad, or very painful. They can also be nostalgic. Old books, toys, and movies trigger certain memories.

A happy memory

The Fellowship of The Ring 2001 film came out when I was thirteen years old. Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s original book trilogy swarmed the theaters. Stores sold collectable items with pictures of the characters on top of the packages.

I remember another time when my sister read the first book out loud to my family while we were riding in the car. I was eleven years old at the time. Back then I did not understand who Bilbo was or why the ring was evil.

The first movie certainly made me curious about Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam. It also made me a Lord of The Rings fanatic! Like the rest of the fans, I watched the other two films and gobbled up the plot.

I cheered for Sam when he carried Frodo on his back in The Return of The King. His famous line “I know I cannot carry it for you, but I can carry you,” was very emotional.

Carrying each other’s burdens

Sam’s response in The Return of The King reminded me that we often need to carry each other’s burdens. We need to set a good example for our friends and family members in both the good times and the hard times.

Praying for friends, neighbors, and family members, along with little acts of kindness, can go a long way. We won’t always see in this life how our actions affected them. Sometimes only God knows.

Last thought for the road

The Lord of The Rings movie and book trilogy had a huge impact on my life. They helped me to admire the author. J.R.R. Tolkien. At the time, I didn’t know that he was Catholic. I found that out later. I was not a Catholic when I was a teenager, but little by little, God used things like these books and films to inspire me to think more about Catholicism and the Catholic Faith.

“The Road goes ever on and on

down from the door where it began”

(Tolkien, 1955).

This well-known little song from The Fellowship of The Ring reminds us that if we are open, God will lead us into situations that surprise us. Sometimes our actions might be a little bit like Bilbo’s. We want to remain at home, quiet and hidden from the world. Sometimes we end up in completely different circumstances.

Are you willing to take a long step out of your hobbit hole?

article by Angela Lano, copyright 10-13-2022

image by Pexels from Pixabay, free for commercial use