This quotation from Henri Nouwen landed in my in-box this morning, and it made me think about conversations I’ve been a part of lately, either by participating or by eavesdropping, in person and online. I thought others might find it as moving and thought-provoking as I do.

[The divine embrace] is the place where I so much want to be, but am so fearful of being. It is the place where I will receive all I desire, all that I ever hoped for, all that I will ever need, but it is also the place where I have to let go of all I most want to hold on to. It is the place that confronts me with the fact that truly accepting love, forgiveness, and healing is often much harder than giving it. It is the place beyond earning, deserving, and rewarding. It is the place of surrender and complete trust. —Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming