High School, Middle Earth and the Irish Whistle

How many of you are looking forward with fidgety anticipation for the release of "The Hobbit" in December?

Well, I am!

I was in love with J.R.R. Tolkien's novels, "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy ever since I stumbled upon them by chance in my high school library. I spent the following three weeks utterly absorbed, looking forward to study halls and reading the books in class when I could get away with it (the road to college scholarships)!

I enjoyed escaping into the world of Middle Earth.

This was especially pleasant since my South Bend high school was a virtual prison filled with rules that could have filled the Indiana University Law Library. I still shovel food in my mouth like an animal because of the 20 minute lunches there. Hard to enjoy meals that way!

 Not only that, but every young punk exulting in his godlike strength spent all his time pushing around and verbally humiliating anyone smaller than themselves.

Yeah, that was me.

I had reason to escape.

But back to the novels: I loved the noble wood elves, slightly less noble dwarves, danger from horrible orcs and worse, wizards both good and bad...and the secret love of many men, polished engraved swords!

(Yeah, they make 'em!)

Now the books still enable me to escape my present (and now far better) existence into Middle Earth; a world where things are still made by hand, love and loyalty between men is considered normal and women can be beautiful without showing skin.

I escape often.

This brings me to the movies. When "The Fellowship of the Ring", directed by Peter Jackson, was released, my family and I entered the theater with a mix of dread and hope. Would they butcher the movie as they did  the animated version? Would they make it campy? Slip in modern gags? Worst of all, would they make Frodo cute?

Soon our mouths were open in awe as we watched the classic version unfold.

And the movie did well by me, let me tell you. I bought each of the DVDs as they came out. Then I  discovered the extended versions and had to buy those, too. They got me every time.

And they'll certainly get me with "The Hobbit " also, which I hear is going to be made in three parts, using material from the appendixes to the trilogy!

Oh, yeah!

Sometimes people tell me, "I don't really get into dwarves and elves and stuff."

I don't know why, but it makes me sad.

I loved the movies so much, and Howard Shore's magnificent soundtrack, that when I bought my first Irish Whistle, the first tune I learned to play was "Many Meetings," which fans would recognize as the hobbit's theme.

This first whistle was made so badly that my cat actually begged me to stop playing by crawling up into my lap and mewing loudly. My family loved it.

But now my whistles (and hopefully skill) have improved, and the cat, who is now sleeping peacefully beside me (she's always sleeping when she's not murdering chipmunks) gave up convincing me to stop.

And...guess what? "The Hobbit" producers have released pictures of the actors playing in the film, and I saw this picture of Bofur!

SEE? See what he's holding? An Irish Whistle!!

I'm so happy! More new music to play!

Thank you Jesus!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17).