Sitting with Sam beneath the Shire Mallorn

Sometimes, simple pictures are about significant things. The year is S.R. 1430, nearly a decade after the departure of Bilbo and Frodo from Middle-earth, yet Bag End has never looked more floriferous. Thanks to Sam's tender care, the gardens nearest the smial have been greatly expanded. There is now a rose garden for Rose, a young fruit orchard, and a large vegetable garden to feed Sam's rapidly-growing family.

The Party Field, however, has been left a wildflower meadow by tradition. One little corner of the great stump of the Party Tree is visible as Sam comes through the green grass on a noon day break. His life is as happy and busy as Frodo foretold, but I cannot help supposing that, after all the little gardener had been through in the War of the Ring, he must sometimes have paused to reflect. What better place to do so than in the kindly shade of the only mallorn tree west of the Misty Mountains?

Sam would be missing his master and dearest friend. Looking up into the branches of the sapling where the leaves are just beginning to turn gold at the cusp of autumn, Sam is reading from one of the three books of lore and thinking about the higher things.

He can remember his timeless days in Lothlórien and the gift of Galadriel, who has also sailed away. I think that, here and there, Sam would have taken a moment to himself to think of his absent friends and to wonder where his own future Road might lead.

In memory of the Golden Wood, Sam has been encouraging white and yellow wildflowers to flourish around the young mallorn. There are buttercups and daisies, and lovely white silene. In a moment, Sam will get up and re-tread his path amongst the butterflies through the long summer grass. He will go to play with his lads and lasses, and pick something nice from the garden for his wife. But these little breathers are never wasted. Even the busy life can be a contemplative one.

Sam's stewardship of and contributions to the lore books make him one of the fathers of our Tolkienian tradition. I hope you will enjoy this minute with him and feel refreshed in spirit by it.