Wow, dear, I am just speechless. This is so beautiful and touching... melancholy but not sad. As I get older, I do think a lot about memories. They are priceless and often ours alone, and they keep alive all of the wonderful things we've experienced in our lives. Yet, we also need to look forward with hope to fully experience life, not just live in the past. Your poem captures that... within the wonderful context of Frodo and Sam, of course. I've always been very, very grateful to Tolkien for "giving" Sam a long and fruitful life capped by his final trip to (hopefully) reunite with Frodo. I love the character of Sam so much; it's all I would wish for him (and for any of us, if it could be true).

All of this is by way of saying "thank you" and that I am touched by your gift.