The Legend of Hobart is dedicated to “Allison the Courageous.” When she read the dedication, Allison told me that she wasn’t courageous. She said that in part because she’s humble; and in part because courage is a word that is often misunderstood.
In The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Aragorn was a mighty warrior and the heir to the throne of Gondor. He was noble and brave, a skilled warrior. But he was not the hero of this epic story. That distinction belongs to two small hobbits.
Frodo and Samwise, the hobbits, would have much rather lived their peaceful quiet lives in the Shire. But events beyond their control thrust them onto a journey into a dark and dangerous world. Their fears told them that they could never possibly win. But courage urged them to hold on just a little longer.
Aragorn had his part to play. But it was Sam and Frodo that defeated the darkness. Not with swords or arrows, but with the courage to face one more day, to take one more step along a seemingly unending journey, to not give into despair, but instead to hold onto hope. And it was their courage that brought victory in the end.
Like the hobbits, Allison would have gladly stayed in her quiet, simple life. But instead, she was thrust into a dark land by events she did not choose. It would have been so easy for her to give in to despair. But instead she has faced each fear, each trial, each loss and continued to press forward. Day after day, she has persevered. And along the way, she has more than proved her courage.