“The World is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
Haldir the Elf-Warden to Frodo the Hobbit, in
J.R.R.Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring
***
I still need to read C.S. Lewis’ The Problem of Pain. There certainly is pain and grief in this world, and yet there is still the beautiful and lovely. It’s a big reason why I write.
He does a great job explaining why the presence of pain is not evidence of a lack of God’s love.
I’ve downloaded it onto my Kindle. Now I need to take the time to read it. Thanks for the great quote above.
Cathartic and yet helpful to others… the human condition is love and pain, inner war and peace – striving for life overcoming the darkness. Keep writing – you are building bridges to God’s blessings, no doubt.
Thank you for the encouragement! It’s been really rough few weeks, especially this past week. Blog post title on my mind today:
My Life as a Zombie: ADHD Medicine Trials I Wish Were Fiction
Another wonderful LOTR quote — thanks for sharing, Tim.
Thanks, Jeannie.
This is why I keep re-reading his work – every time I do, I find new gems of such depth and wisdom 🙂
So true. I’m reading The Gospel According to Tolkien now and its opening up new insights, even though I’ve already read The Hobbit and LOTR more times than I can recall.
Might have to look out for that one! Thanks.
This quote seems to describe the feel of the books perfectly. It is very bittersweet, not only for the characters, but also for the reader as they come to the end once again.
It’s also a quote I think about when I visit the town where I grew up. So many people I knew have passed on (my wonderful neighbor very recently), and so many changes have come to the town, yet I still feel so much love for the place.
I feel that happy melancholy when I visit my home town too. Interesting what memories can do.
One of my favorite quotes! 🙂
It’s truly powerful, isn’t it?
Ah, the simplicity and beauty of poetry.
Simple and beautiful is right, Sarah.