[tifo_gcs]

But that offers no explanation for one part of Frodo's experience with the mirror, when the eye of Sauron appears looking for the ring. I don't believe that Sauron had not been on my Frodo's mind up to then, or that he had been repressing thoughts of him. Especially when Galadriel says "for it has also been on my mind," thereby implying that it is also on Frodo's mind.

I think in some ways Galdriel's Mirror functions like an elven plantir, except with the added dimension of time. Where as the palantir were only able to look at objects from great distances, the mirror of Galadriel will show you both present and future (and past, though that doesn't come into play). However, it will not show views or scenarios that are not relevant to the person viewing the mirror, and because it may show the future, the scene viewed may never come to pass (also mentioned by Galdriel). Sam is attached to Bagshot Row, and the mirror shows him Bagshot Row changed. It is precisely because Sam is thinking of Bagshot Row, and connected to it, that the mirror shows him Bagshot Row.

Possibly, if Merry looked he might se an image of Theoden, or Treebeard, and they might be dead, dying, or fighting against Saruman, though he wouldn't know why he saw them. But that's just an afterthought and not part of my argument