Troubled on every side, yet not distressed*

by chuckofish

It’s that time of year when I bring a lot of plants in from the Florida room for the winter and try to find sunny spaces for them in the house. Also, we now have the boy’s feral cat living in the Florida room while they are in between houses…it’s a long story. Whatever. A minor disruption. That is Life. I am a twig on the shoulders of a mighty stream…

I am not a super fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and his LOTR trilogy, but this is a really interesting article about Tolkien’s moral vision and the long defeat of history. The bottom line is an important one for us to keep in mind: Providence is a bulwark against despair. “It is a reminder to us that even as darkness seems to fall and the long defeat threatens to become final, there is hope from outside the world.” Read the whole thing.

Here’s a rant from Anne, who rants much more effectively than I. Of course, I totally agree with her.

So have a nice day. Despair not. Watch a funny movie–I just watched the original Bad News Bears (1976) and it was hilarious. It also had a good message about the bad attitude of some parents/couches who ruin sports for kids. By today’s standards, it is seriously politically incorrect, but c’mon, that was no problem for me.

And when all else fails…

*2 Corinthians 4:8