I have really taken to watching movies and series produced by the Hallmark Channel. Why? Because most of the programs have a happy ending. There is so much in our world today that causes fear, anxiety, frustration and depression that I, for one, if I'm going to give up some time to watch something on TV, want that program to end on a happy conclusion. Frankly, there was a time in my life when I wouldn't have given the Hallmark Channel five minutes of my time. Now, it's often my "go to."
In one of my journals I found something that a fellow named Jim Denney wrote. Unfortunately, I did not note where I found this quote. Nevertheless, Denney provides an insight that I really appreciate.
JRR Tolkien, the creator of The Hobbit, once wrote that his goal as an author was to give his readers the "Consolation of the Happy Ending." That consolation takes place at the point of the story when all hope is lost, when disaster seems certain - the joy breaks through, catching the reader by surprise. In a 1964 essay, Tolkien called that instant, "a fleeting glimpse of joy, joy beyond the walls of the would, poignant as grief.
