Those are the words of someone who shattered my trust. And yet I still repeat those words like a mantra.

Despite all she took from me, she gave me those words. Those words of power. Perhaps they were even worth all the pain. Perhaps. Because they are so fundamentally true. The only answer, when life sucks, is keep going.

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” — Winston Churchill

Churchill said it first, of course. But I prefer the Angels version. Not just because of the special meaning it holds to me, but for the extra emotional punch.

Imagine an angel.

A flawless angel beaten down by the fires of hell. Pristine white robe torn and charred, ragged edge trailing in the ashes. The faintest flicker of a halo of flame glimmering in the hazy air above her waterfall of spun-gold hair.

White dove feathers of her wings burning merrily. Burning, yet remaining intact. Soft down transformed into blazing flame. Wings of fire. Wings of a phoenix.

Imagine an angel walking through hell, reborn in the fire.

Perhaps she chose her path. Likely, Life chose it for her in an absent minded toss of the dice.

What she always has the choice in, however, is to keep going. Step after step, despite the fire.

Take the path. Walk through the fire. Emerge as a phoenix.

If fire still licks around you, remember — just keep going. You cannot go back — and to stop would invite the flame to consume you.

^{If only I were better at listening to what I preach…}