He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts. Psalm 104:14-15
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
These are among last words of Thorin Oakenshield as he lies dying at the end of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973).
Today we visited the Shire, also known as Hobbiton, outside Matamata, New Zealand. Central to both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies, the Shire (pictured above) is the place where life for humble residents is rooted in daily work, enjoying the fruit of labor, and sharing richly with visitors. God gave us a perfect day! The weather was gorgeous.
Tolkien, a close friend of C.S. Lewis, portrays the Shire as a place of “food and cheer and song” that captivates us with enjoyment. The hobbits live life as it was meant to be lived, and perhaps just as God designed it. That was our experience. We made a special memory we will never forget. What if each of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold?