Finding Light In The Darkness

Harry Potter has always been more than just a story to me—it’s a reminder of resilience, love, and the choices we make in the face of hardship. At its core, it’s about pushing forward even when everything seems lost, about finding light even in the darkest places. Harry’s journey was never easy. He faced loss at an early age, carried the weight of a destiny he never asked for, and fought battles that seemed impossible to win. But through it all, he never gave up. He kept going—not because he had to, but because he chose to. He chose to fight, to love, to trust, even when the odds were stacked against him. He found strength in the people who stood by him, in the love that surrounded him, and in the belief that even the worst pain could be overcome.

That story resonates with me so deeply because, in so many ways, it mirrors what my husband and I are facing. His battle with PNES is its own kind of war—one that is invisible to most people, misunderstood, and often isolating. Some days, it feels like we’re fighting against something we can’t fully see or control, like we’re standing in the middle of a storm with no way of knowing when it will pass. There are moments of exhaustion, of fear, of wondering if things will ever feel normal again. But just like Harry, we keep going. We hold on to each other, we find strength in love, and we remind ourselves that we are more than this struggle.

One of the most powerful lessons in Harry Potter is that our past does not define us—our choices do. And every day, we make the choice to keep fighting forward, to hold on to hope, and to believe that a future beyond this hardship exists. It’s not an easy road, and there are times when the weight of it all feels unbearable. But I remind myself of something Dumbledore said: “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

So even on the hardest days, even when the light feels far away, we search for it. We hold on to the small moments of joy, the victories—no matter how small—and the love that keeps us moving forward. Because just like Harry, we are not defined by what we face, but by how we choose to rise above it. And no matter how long this journey takes, we will keep moving forward—together.