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“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

The first annual Tolkien Retreat is “in the books” as they say, and what a life-changing retreat it was! Sixteen upperclassmen and six faculty/staff headed to the majestic Leonard Lake Reserve for seven days and six nights of reading, reflection, fellowship, and worship. Each day began with a full breakfast and morning worship from The Book of Common Prayer and the singing of the school hymn. Then most of each morning was spent reading one of the six books of  The Lord of the Rings. 

In the early afternoon we reconvened for Tea Time and unguided discussion, and then prior to dinner we read some more, went for nature hikes, rowed out on the lake, took polar plunges, swung on the rope swing, or simply took a nap. Every evening we would sit down for a full dinner together to recap the events of the day followed by board games, impromptu music sing-alongs around the piano, baking desserts or reading some more. All students helped cook the meals, bake snacks for tea time, and wash dishes.

We are still processing all the good things that happened on retreat, but suffice it to say, lives were changed. People who thought they could not read the whole book in one week were surprised to learn that they could, and that they liked it! The practice of reading for delight—rather than for a grade or as a critical exercise—freed us to become better readers through steady shared discipline which led to enjoyment, and consequently, greater depth of understanding. Others were thrilled to experience how immersing oneself in an imaginative world changes the way that they think and relate to others. Moreover, reading a loud, and reading in community cultivated a shared experience that formed our moral imaginations. Our loves were cultivated, reordered, and inspired by the time spent in the text.  

More than that, many relationships deepened, between students and among students and faculty/staff. 

As we look forward to next year, we are excited for this tradition to continue, and we cannot wait to bring new students and faculty into the joy and goodness of this time.