Rise Again From Ashes

An excerpt from Jacob the Baker by Noah Benshea:

"...life is often heavy only because we attempt to carry it," said Jacob. "But, I do find strength in the ashes. [...] You see, Mr. Gold, each of us is alone. Each of us is in the great darkness of our ignorance. And, each of us is on a journey, we must bend to build a fire for light, and warmth and food. But when our fingers tear at the ground, hoping to find the coals of another's fire, what we often find are the ashes. And, in these ashes, which will not give us light or warmth, there may be sadness, but there is also testimony. Because these ashes tell us that somebody else has been in the night, somebody else has bent to build a fire, and somebody else carried on."

Strength AND hope in ashes.
Happy Lent.