ORIGINAL: Jellicoe
As Gandalf said 'the deep breath before the plunge'
Waiting news with anticipation
I went back about five pages to search for this post. That's a memorable quote!
It reminded me when I read it two days ago that there's another scene in Lord of the Rings (The Return of the King) that stuck in my mind. Near the very end, after Frodo arrives back home with his companions, he gives a soliloquy on "how do you resume life at home after experiencing such stirring things" (very losely paraphrased).
The thought is a magnificent one. I've used it before when speaking to historic groups about the end of the Civil War. How does a captain who led troops into battle at Spotsylvania or Franklin return home, pick up a pitchfork, and resume life? What does he do when his wife scolds him ("Honey, you forgot to take out the trash again") or questions his judgment ("I don't think you should plant the north 40 with corn this year")? How do you go from battlefield command to taking out the trash?
Saturday, on the Appalachian Trail, we could dimly see in the distance the distinctive crown of Mount Yonah, near Cleveland, Georgia. I asked my three companions if they had ever heard of James Longstreet. My son had, of course, but the two young women, both college students, hadn't. So I told them a story about General Longstreet.
After the Civil War ended, Longstreet returned to civilian life in northeast Georgia. One day soon afterwards, he walked up Yonah. When he reached the top, he yielded himself to his raw emotions at having seen so much loss of life, so much suffering, and for it all to come to naught.
I read that account in a book many years ago. Since then I've tried to find it again so that I could cite it when speaking (and I plan to use it in writing at some point). But I've never been able to put my finger on that story again.
