From Darkness into Light

Friday, August 13th, 2010 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, Princess Alais, The Writing Life

When darkness rises, from our very bodies in the case of illness or from the burdens of life, as it must for all of us, what is it that keeps us going? For Alais, it was a faith in God and in her duty, her absolute certainty that whatever she did, she always acted to serve her father and the throne of France. For Eleanor, it was faith in herself, a complete and total certainty that whatever happened in her life, whatever or whoever she lost, she would always find within herself the strength to go on.

This act of courage, facing the darkness and walking on in spite of it, is something all of us do at least a few times in our lives. To face the darkness and to step forward into it, with the certainty that beyond it lies something else, if not freedom from darkness,  hope that light will shine on us once more. That is heroism. To step forward into the dark, not knowing what will come next, only knowing that you have to keep walking.

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