It's Like in the Great Stories

 I knew I wanted a really special blog title.

 From the time I decided I might want to start a blog, I knew I couldn't until I had a suitable name for it. Not just a good name, but a special one. One that spoke to me and would hopefully speak to others, too. One that-- well, one that mattered.

 If you know me well you know that I love Lord of the Rings. What you might not know is that Samwise Gamgee is not only my favorite character in the trilogy, but one of my favorite characters of all time. I won't elaborate on why because I might actually do a blog post about that someday. Instead I'll just talk about something that he said (this is the movie version of his speech, but the book version is just as beautiful):

 “It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end… because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing… this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something.” 

 In this quote from The Two Towers, Sam honestly speaks about the hardness of life-- the darkness, the danger that makes pressing toward victory so difficult. Yet he remains positive (bless his dear little hobbit heart), because he knows that light will overcome darkness. He challenges Frodo (and all of us) to keep fighting for the light.

 Why did the stories he spoke of really matter? Because they meant something. They were raw and honest and didn't sugarcoat the fight of life. Most importantly, they told of people who didn't give up, who pressed on and kept the faith even in their darkest hours.

 Why did I choose this as my blog title? It reminds us of strength, faith, victory, and hope. It reminds me that I want to make my stories, my work, my character, my life matter.

 What will I be posting on this blog? Well, its main purpose is writing and books, since I'm a writer and those were the kind of blogs that inspired me to start my own. But that's not the only thing I'll write about here. You might see me talk about music, movies, faith, or really random things sometimes. Long story short? The things that matter to me. The things that inspire or encourage me personally and hopefully will do the same for you. I chose today for my first post, but my regular posting day will be Thursdays.

 Thank you all for joining me on this journey. May the words you read here remind you of the wise words of Samwise Gamgee and encourage you to remember the things that really matter.