I once again finished The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Shadow of Sauron

Thus once again I have and to my joy finished The Return of the King and with it The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. The book to which I owe so much: my love of reading, my interest in myths and legends, the mithril-plating upon my moral backbone.

Thus came Aragorn

The White Tree of Gondor

To this masterwork that is my DNA writ in ink and awe, I quote the illustrator Ted Nasmith, who once flawlessly described the wonder and power of this book that is the Father and Founder of the Fantasy Genre in but a single sentence: "It opened up in me a dormant love of lost and misty times, myth and legend."
Truly and for me as well, as before my father convinced me to let him read it to me aloud I hated reading.

And now, for the first time since before high school, it is done again, and I am filled with awe-anew for now I pick up much that I had missed before and my regard of Tolkien climbs higher still.

Until next time my dearest friends. I would say a longer goodbye save for the fact that if there if one thing in my life that is certain it is that I will see you all again. Maybe next year or ten times that, but it will occur.

"Roads go ever ever on,
Under cloud and under star.
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen,
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green,
And trees and hills they long have known.

The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone.
Let others follow, if they can!
Let them a journey new begin.

The End of the Age

But I at last with weary feet

Will turn towards the lighted inn,

My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

Still round the corner there may wait  

A new road or a secret gate,  

And though I oft have passed them by,  

A day will come at last when I  

Shall take the hidden paths that run  

West of the Moon, East of the Sun.”