I’m standing in the back of a cemetery surrounded by a sea of grey stone.  I breathe in the English air and simply stand there, content not to be cognizant of the time or the notifications on my phone.  Not far from me, suburban traffic whizzes by, but I take no notice.  I’m completely engrossed by what’s in front of me: a large headstone adorned with trinkets left by visitors like me. 

The names listed tell who is buried here, but it’s two other names that are most striking.  “Beren” and “Luthien” are written underneath the names of J. R. R. Tolkien and his wife, Edith.  I am deep in Wolvercote Cemetery in Oxford, England, at my favorite author’s grave. And there is nowhere in the world I’d rather be right now. 

Since that trip across the pond over a decade ago, my love for Tolkien’s works has not waned.  The fictional world he created is easy to get lost in.  The beauty of both his prose and poems is enchanting.  Each word perfectly crafted, each tale rich and ripe.  He writes about beautiful things in the most beautiful way. 

I love his writing.  And I love the fact that it marks his final resting place.  There’s something so powerful in the fact that, of all he wrote over his whole life, it all boils down to two names on a grave: Beren, a mortal man mighty in the lineage of the kings of men, and Luthien, an immortal elf princess and the most beautiful creature ever to walk Middle-earth.   The love they shared overthrew a tyrant and was more valuable than the Silmarils – the jewels they recovered from his hand.

As I understand it, the heart of all of Tolkien’s writing is The Silmarillion. He set out to write a grand mythology and dedicate it to England, constantly revising it and adding to it over the course of his life.  And the heart of The Silmarillion is the tale of Beren and Luthien.  He identified the character of Luthien with his wife Edith, with her dark hair, singing and dancing as they wandered in the woods together. So, at the root of all his writing – all the songs and tales, all the adventures – at the center of it all is love. 

And the proof of this is carved in a grey granite slab – a testament for generations to come of love that defied the shadow. 

Conquering love, defiant hope, and people and places worth protecting. These themes fill both The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings, the latter being the subject of a new TV series on Amazon.  The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is based on the book and the delightful material in the appendices but takes place in an earlier age in the chronology of Middle-earth. Perhaps the show will be the making of new Tolkien fans, sending them to the book for the first time. 

It can be daunting to crack open The Lord of the Rings as a newbie.  It’s a wonderful read – but not a short one.  So, to sum it up, what is the meaning of this voluminous work? What’s it all about? 

In a word – home.  To me, that is what the book is all about.  Home and the people you love who live there. 

And that is a book well worth reading, whether in your favorite armchair or on a plane headed overseas, like me on that trip to England.  I love traveling, and I loved that trip years ago.  Walking in Tolkien’s footsteps around Oxford was worth the trek, more than worth it.  But also – having tea with my mom in Harrod’s, going to the theater, walking in Jane Austen’s footsteps in Bath. And, perhaps most of all, beholding the warm, clean beauty of the English countryside, the real-life Shire. 

I love seeing new places, learning new things, and making memories that last long after you’ve unpacked.  I think it’s important to have a global perspective. We need to remember that we are not alone in the world, that our problems are not the only problems on the planet, that we have a shared humanity – even with those who don’t look like us or think like us. 

Travel, whether to destinations near or far, has much to love about it.  But what I love most is coming home.  Having a place to come home to – and people who embrace you when you get there.  It’s the view that beats any scenic vista:  framed photographs on the mantle, pets waiting for you on the couch, and people – your people.   

Like the hobbit Bilbo said, the road goes on.  See where it leads.  Wander through woods and wilderness.  Join the company in The Prancing Pony or wherever you find yourself.  Talk to those from distant lands and share tales.  See the mountains.  See the sights.  See it all.  And then head home – the one corner in all the world you call your own, to the people you’d risk everything for to protect.

Go there and back again.