I don’t believe that my life is a long row of randomly chained incidents and accidents of which I am not much more than a passive victim. No, I think that nothing is accidental but that God molded me through the events of my life and that I am called to recognize his molding hand and praise him in gratitude for the great things he has done for me. I wonder if I really have listened carefully enough to the God of history, the God of my history, and have recognized him when he called me by my name . . . Maybe I have been living much too fast, too restlessly, too feverishly, forgetting to pay attention to what is happening here and now . . . Just as a whole world of beauty can be discovered in one flower, so the great grace of God can be tasted in one small moment.

– Henri Nouwen