Need
a good source of entertainment? Go see The
Hobbit.
Need
a little adventure in your life? Go see The
Hobbit.
Need
a break from studying? Go see The Hobbit.
Need
to get your mind off something? Go see The
Hobbit.
Need
a cure for writer’s block? Go see The
Hobbit.
(I’d
read the book before you go watch the movie, but that’s just because I love to
read and get all the extra details).
I’m
not sure if you figured it out yet or not, but I went to see The Hobbit tonight ;) and it was
awesome! I loved all three movies in the Lord
of the Rings trilogy (during a snow day a couple of years ago, my friends
and I watched them all in a row) so I was really excited when I heard Peter
Jackson was doing this one, too.
Luckily
it’s been about 10 years since I read the book, so I had forgotten most of the
storyline. I knew the very rough outline, but I could have gotten that much
simply by watching the previews. And that’s the way I like it! When the Harry Potter movies were coming out, I
used to reread the book right before I saw the movie, and it was the worst
mistake I could have made! Apparently I thought it would be a good idea to be
aware of all they have to leave out in the interest of time…well, let’s just
say, it wasn’t. I’d walk out of the movies angry because they didn’t put this
in or they didn’t put that in. Dumb dumb dumb. And I almost made the same
mistake this time! Luckily, I recalled the anger that was sure to flare up just
in time and stopped myself from experiencing it for the 8th time.
Anyway,
on to the point of this post (as if there is one).
During
one of the scenes, Gandalf is talking to Galadriel (don’t worry, I’m not giving
anything away) and he says:
“Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”
As
soon as he said it, I wanted to write it down because I knew I’d never remember
it once the movie was over. I can’t even remember the responsorial psalm after
the first verse is read, so me keeping that quote in my head for 2.5 hours was
not going to happen. I’m surprised I even remembered who the conversation took place with! Luckily the internet helped
me out with the rest ;)
I
guess I just really love the message in those simple words. We don’t need to be
rich or powerful to do good. We don’t need to have armies standing beside us in
order to make a difference. We don’t need to be the best or the fastest or the
biggest or the brightest or the strongest to have an effect on someone. We just
need to be ourselves. Because God has endowed each of us with a gift, a piece
of Himself, that will allow us to make a difference. We all have some
characteristic within ourselves that will help us fulfill whatever plan God has
for us each and every day. Sure we can’t all be the next Mother Teresa, but
we’re not supposed to be (just ask Danielle Rose). And there’s so much we can
do without simply copying her beautiful ways. We can take the time to smile at
someone as we pass them on the sidewalk. We can volunteer somewhere. We can
offer to babysit for a family at church. We can put something into the second
collection on Sunday. We can bake cookies for a friend. We can send someone a text
to say we care about them. We can hold the door open for the person behind us.
We can recycle. We can donate our old clothes and toys and books. We can spread
joy instead of sorrow. We can smile more and frown less. We can give more and
take less. We can be kind. We can be loving.
What do you
think? How can we be ordinary folk keeping the darkness at bay?
5 comments:
Yes... yes we can. I remember writing about something similar before I went to Honduras. It's so true. The more little acts of kindness there are, the greater the impact will be in the long run.
Great post!
Ah! LOVE this! I'm a great fan of the little things in life, spiritual and otherwise. :) And...just saw The Hobbit last night! Awesome! (but yes, the books are even better!)
P.S. That quote also totally stuck out to me!
Thank you! :) I'll have to check out your pre-Honduras post!
I blame St. Therese for love of the little things ;) Now we have to wait another year before the next part of the movie comes out...
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