Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema finally figured it out. Jackson will serve as executive producer for two films based on "The Hobbit" movies, the prequel story to J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary "The Lord of the Rings" tale. That's a great thing.
The books and the films represent seminal moments in my life when God dealt with me about destiny and purpose. I neglected the chance to read Tolkien's work while at the University of Kansas, when my roommate, Tonya Boone, encouraged me to read them. I wasn't into wizards and hobbits, then. I was a Harlequin Romance girl.
But when my girlfriend Judy Horton and I took a chance and went to a dollar movie to watch "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," we were hooked. (You were right, Tonya Boone!) Judy and I devoured "The Lord of the Rings" and ached for each new film in the trilogy. I was enchanted by the world Tolkien created and loved the powerful dialogue. While I loved Viggo Mortensen's portrayal of Aragorn, many of Faramir's words in the book enthralled me. (Thankfully, I later married a man who had attributes that I admired from both of those characters.)
Through Tolkien's words and the passionate filmmaking of Jackson and his team, I was in Middle-earth for years -- not just in a darkened movie theater, but in my heart. It will be good to return and see what the God may show me through "The Hobbit."
Too bad I can't write something ecstatically in Elvish, but I did discover my Elvish name at the Elvish Name Generator: Enelya Ar-Feiniel.
Nice.
