As we’ve walked this journey of loss and grief, a few quotes from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy have resonated.  I’ve found myself repeating the one from the clip below a great deal recently.  My sense is that it will resonate with others, too.

At the end of Return of the King, and some time after destroying the ring of power and journeying back to the Shire, Frodo finds that returning home is not what he expected it to be.  His wound at Weathertop and the burden of carrying the ring had taken its toll.

Our loss of Jud and the grief that followed have taken a toll on me.  The world retains many of its joys, and I have much to live for.  But it is not the same as it was for me—and so I understand Frodo’s sentiment.  There is no going back to the way things were.

A few scenes later, we learn that Frodo is granted the privilege of taking one of the Elven ships to the West (this is heaven in Tolkein’s world).  As one who had suffered so acutely from evil, the call to go was irresistible and so he left the Shire.

It’s a yearning I now well understand.  For while I know I must tarry here a while longer, I long for heaven, where these wounds will heal, I’ll be reunited with my beloved son, and I’ll see my Savior face to face.

That’s something to look forward to.