Tag: J.R.R. Tolkien

Stretched Thin

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“I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien

It is not supposed to happen while taking vacation days from work.  I’m supposed to be well-rested, eager to return to work and ready for the next challenge.  Instead, some viral crud has collided with my immune system and won;  I’ve spent the last 24 hours with chills, fever, muscle aches and no appetite.   I was thinking my strange dreams and overwhelming laziness over the previous two days was just the real “me” coming out while on vacation, but now I know it was the real virus instead.

I try to go at 100 miles per hour in my professional and personal life to get everything done, rarely taking breaks as I feel I’ll never regain the momentum needed.  I’m finding that approach to life can’t be sustained, either because my body can’t do it any longer, or more likely, my brain doesn’t easily stretch that thin any longer.    I’m realizing there may a steady pace that is sustainable and I need to find it.  Right now that pace is from bed to bathroom to computer and back to bed.  I hope to aim for a little more adventure tomorrow.

When I am stretched too thin–when tears flow easy–it is time to slow down and taste the bread and not worry about buttering it.

It is time for the body to be restored by the Body.

A Hairy Toes Blessing

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“May the hair on your toes never fall out!”
— J.R.R. Tolkien in The Hobbit (Thorin Oakenshield addressing Bilbo Baggins)

It’s a safe bet my toes and your toes have never been subjected to a blessing.   But I like the idea of being blest starting from the bottom up,  encompassing my most humble and homely parts first.

The world would be a better place if we rediscovered the art of bestowing blessings–those specific prayers of favor and protection that reinforce community and connection to each other and to something larger than ourselves.   They have become passé in a modern society where God’s relationship with and blessing of His people is not much more than an after-thought.   Benedictions can extend beyond the end of worship services to all tender partings;  wedding receptions can go beyond roasting and toasting to encompass sincere prayers for a future life together.

But let’s start at the very beginning: let’s bless our hairy toes.  That is a very good place to start…

“I can, with one eye squinted, take it all as a blessing.”
— Flannery O’Connor

May you always have…
Walls for the winds
A roof for the rain
Tea beside the fire
Laughter to cheer you
Those you love near you
And all your heart might desire

May those who love us, love us;
and those who don’t love us, may God turn their hearts;
and if He doesn’t turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles
so we’ll know them by their limping.
Traditional Irish Blessings

Prayer for a Little Child
by Winifred M. Letts

God keep my jewel this day from danger;
From tinker and pooka and black-hearted stranger.
From harm of the water, from hurt of the fire.
From the horns of the cows going home to the byre.
From the sight of the fairies that maybe might change her.
From teasing the ass when he’s tied to the manger.
From stones that would bruise her, from thorns of the briar.
From evil red berries that wake her desire.
From hunting the gander and vexing the goat.
From the depths o’ sea water by Danny’s old boat.
From cut and from tumble, from sickness and weeping;
May God have my jewel this day in his keeping.

Don’t Go Where I Can’t Follow

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BriarCroft’s new Cardigan Welsh Corgi puppy Samwise Gamgee  or “Sam”

Naming a new puppy is almost as important as naming a child.  The difference is that a puppy needs a “call” name that will be an invisible leash for the rest of their lives, bringing them running whenever they hear it.  Ideally,  children will outgrow their invisible leash,  but never dogs.

A new puppy at the farm means finding that right name that will be the connection between dog and family.   For our 9 week old Cardigan Welsh Corgi, it is “Sam”  –named for Frodo’s steadfast and loyal companion Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings.  A Corgi is definitely hobbit-like, from their short legs to their hairy toes to their pointy ears.  We lost our older dog Frodo to cancer a few months ago, so this new Sam, as in the classic tale,  will carry on where Frodo could not.  We feel it fits this little fellow quite well and look forward to our journey together.  Thank you to Dune Cardigans for Sam.

Sam saves Frodo numerous times in the Trilogy, staying with him even though he believes Frodo dead:  “Don’t leave me here alone. Don’t go where I can’t follow.”

In other memorable exchanges:

Sam: Do you remember the Shire, Mr. Frodo? It’ll be spring soon. And the orchards will be in blossom. And the birds will be nesting in the hazel thicket. And they’ll be sowing the summer barley in the lower fields… and eating the first of the strawberries with cream. Do you remember the taste of strawberries?

Frodo: No, Sam. I can’t recall the taste of food… nor the sound of water… nor the touch of grass. I’m… naked in the dark, with nothing, no veil… between me… and the wheel of fire! I can see him… with my waking eyes!

Sam: Then let us be rid of it (the ring)… once and for all! Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can’t carry it for you… but I can carry you!

“There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo… and it’s worth fighting for.”

quotes from from The Lord of the Rings (movie)

photo courtesy of Stonelight Cardigans

Speaking of  the “wheel of fire”, not everyone on the farm is happy about the new puppy:

Jose is definitely annoyed.
Really really annoyed!