We watched, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc over the weekend. Joan of Arc is the soldier’s patron saint. Apparently this was a strange choice of saint for a young machismo type boy but he said you’re supposed to pray and meditate on it which is what he did and she is who came to him.

He didn’t know anything about her at the time but has since read virtually everything ever written and when he makes a claim of this sort you can believe he’s not kidding.

We liked the movie a lot. It was tremendously moving but my favorite part was this comment he made…

“So were you there?” I asked the past life soldier.

He looked at me studiously. “I have never been English,” he said. “I have never been French either,” he added.

“So you weren’t there.”

“No I was not. There have been some great battles I had nothing to do with, I am sorry to say.”

“This is one of them?”

“This is one of them,” he said sadly. “I didn’t get to be in this one - I wasn’t there.”

He looked so forlorn, I decided not to ask any more questions.

pictured: Engraving of Joan of Arc in battle in Le Brun de Charmettes, L’Orleanide poeme national, 1819