“If more of us valued food and cheer and song [as you do] above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” – Thorin Oakenshield to Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit
Perhaps Thorin had just had a quiet time studying this:
I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, . . . . Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
I just finished reading this excellent classic to Tanner (8) and Keaton (5) after about two weeks of nightly readings. I would encourage parents to read such books to their children.
