Dating : The One Ring ~ Samwise

Humble gardeners have much to teach us.

Greetings Dear Reader,

When I first encountered Samwise Gamgee, I immediately liked him. At age eight, his name was close enough to my Grandfather’s that there was instant affinity. Like my Grandfather, Samwise was a gardener who held great strength of character. Like him, Sam was much more than meets the eye.

Sam enters the story dropping eves and trimming the verge. He is already watching over Frodo and overhears the story of horror regarding the One Ring. Gandalf catches him and assigns him to accompany Frodo and protect him. The servant heart of Samwise is already inclined to this.

He is the only member of the Fellowship to reach the end of the quest with Frodo. When he thinks Frodo dead because of Shelob’s attack, he takes up the ring for a bit. Other than Deagol, he carries the ring for the shortest time. He does not possess it and it fails to possess him. His humility and understanding allow him to return the ring to Frodo with little struggle.

My mind contrasts his care of the ring with the role of Denethor the Steward of Gondor. Both acted over stewards for those who rightfully should carry a burden. The difference is that Sam never saw the ring as his. Rather, he saw it as fulfilling an obligation to the Fellowship and to Frodo by taking up the ring and the quest to destroy it.

Sam believes in the forces beyond Sauron that exist for good and evil. He knows there is a greater purpose at work in the great stories. He humbly understands that he does not own the ring and never should. Even after Frodo has the ring back, he carries Frodo up the mountain when the burden becomes too great for his companion.

What we learn from Samwise is that humble dedication to what is good yields greater good even when filled with sorrow. Sam loses much in the quest to do what is right. He sees his dearest friend near death several times. He experiences the betrayal of Boromir and carries the pain of his death. The trauma of Smeagol’s danger and Frodo’s mistrust hurt him deeply. Through all of it, he remains humbly loyal to what is good, his word, and the quest.

Even after the ring is destroyed, he returns to the Shire he loves. His heart breaks as he sees how it has been scoured by Saruman. He spends his life trying to restore it but the sorrow of it seems a deep wound for such loyalty.

What I must carry that is Sam’s is that he clings to the humble idea of duty to what is right above all else. Even when his friends act poorly, he remains with them, doing his best to carry the good forward. He defends the quest at all costs. He sees the journey through in hope when the darkness is deep and closing around him.

I must not give up my love for others at any cost. The quest to get things back to good is never one to abandon. Those who betray me or doubt me are still worthy of my love. Even when things are darkest, there are stars; there is light to find. The journey is not about possessing or ownership. It is about stewarding that with which we are entrusted in ways that honor those who commissioned us. It is about letting go when it is time and returning to our station of companion and fellow traveler; always looking for the chance to serve the quest further. So, I ask, Dear Reader, what burden can I shoulder for you? How can I help you along the way?

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, “That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon
Web Page: www.aramisthorn.com
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
Facebook
Twitter
Medium
Instagram
This BLOG: http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/