With the time we’re given

For the past three nights I have been watching each installment of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. It’s such a masterpiece of film for every reason: writing, design, directing, acting, and special effects. It’s an epic. My favorite part, though, is that it retains many of the literary themes which are the heart of what makes the books so beloved.

One such prevailing theme comes up when Frodo is lamenting the fact that he had received the ring. Gandalf explains, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

Frodo and Sam were just little Hobbits. They weren’t great warriors, extremely skilled with the sword or cunning; but they were pure in heart and true to each other. Even when dealing with the greatest evil of their time, it was that essence of their soul that saved them. Their relationship was tried to the limit.

They weren’t necessarily extraordinary people, but they accomplished extraordinary things.

We are all responsible for the “time that is given to us.” It has been said that time is the great equalizer. Everyone gets exactly the same number of hours in each day, and all we can decide is what to do with that time.

Great men and women have come and gone from this world, leaving indelible legacies on the history books and in the hearts of mankind. Most were just ordinary people, doing extraordinary things.