The Lord of the Rings

Oscar Wilde once said, "If one cannot enjoy a book a over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all."
There are many books like this for me, but my most beloved and enjoyed book series, are The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The story follows a small hobbit, Frodo, who is traveling across Middle Earth to destroy the one Ring that would give Sauron, the Evil Lord, eternal power over Middle Earth. Of course, Frodo has his faithful friend Sam to guide him, and help him when he is being slightly overtaken by the Ring. Not only are Frodo and Sam traveling to Mount Doom to destroy the Ring, but also everywhere else in Middle Earth the struggle continues. As Evil overtakes Middle Earth those on the side of good are forced to pitch in, and help Frodo and Sam by defending them along the way from the Evil One, Sauron.
Some might say that Frodo is the hero is the hero of the story, but I disagree. Sam is the most loyal of all of the characters in the story. In the end, Frodo is tempted to keep the Ring instead of destroying it. He is close to giving up his life and all other life on Middle Earth, but Sam is there to guide him back to the right path. Sam gives all he has in him for Frodo, and even has to carry his friend up the mountain, when Frodo has no strength to move on any further. Sam is the perfect picture of a true and devoted  friend to Frodo.
One of the many things I like about this story, is that it mirrors what our life, as Christians, is like here on Earth.  As we try to learn more about God, and as we try to teach others about ihm too, we run into all kinds of dangers and troubles along the way. In out day, having a friend like Sam, to encourage us, and help us when we need the most is sometimes crucial.
In  the first years of 2000, Peter Jackson released wonderful movies to go along with these book. Although he couldn't add in everything that we would have liked, he did an amazing job with the character development, and although it took many years to finish them, they were great. The soundtracks by Howard Shore are one of my favorite aspects to the movies, and the music alone is enough to make you teary-eyed. I feel like Shore did as well in the music, as Peter Jackson did on the movies, and I highly recommend listening to it. :) The Lord of the Rings is something that I have treasured and loved for a while, and I will keep reading it, and enjoying it for as long as I can.
"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you do't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."



                                     
                                              Frodo and Sam going up the Mountain