I just received the greatest compliment of my life in Book Seven: Reconstruction 2020

I just received the greatest compliment of my life

Essen said that I remind her of Samwise Gamgee. “You’re loyal, pure, steadfast, and determined through adversity. And you’ll come home to your Rosie at the end of this tremendous undertaking 💖 I’m sure of it. You give me faith through my long journey. And I know if we can just make it back from Mordor, you’ll have a wonderful life with your Rosie”

and I’m honestly weeping over it. Sam was the faithful friend, the stalwart companion that embodied the best of the Hobbits.. of friendship… of compassion.

After a lifetime of being told I’m the Gollum… for someone to say I’m the Sam is just… yeah. Tears. Tears and tears. And frankly? I get why that shouldn’t be a surprise....

Frodo: I can’t do this, Sam.

Sam: I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy.

Sam: How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.

Sam: Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam?
Sam: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.

But honestly… for anyone to say it?

I’ve been The Monster, The Outcast, The Unwanted, The Dregs so long. For someone to see me and say, “No you’re not. You’re the friend, the heart, the support, the hero”.... I’ve had to tell myself that over and over with so little irl support. For even just one person to say it? Fucking life changing.