Daily Meditation for Wednesday, 22 February 2017: "The Balance Between Closeness and Distance" from The Henri Nouwen Society in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Daily Meditation for Wednesday, 22 February 2017: "The Balance Between Closeness and Distance" from The Henri Nouwen Society in Toronto, Ontario, Canada


DAILY MEDITATION "The Balance Between Closeness and Distance" for Wednesday, 22 February 2017

Photo courtesy of SDGimagery.comIntimacy between people requires closeness as well as distance. It is like dancing. Sometimes we are very close, touching each other or holding each other; sometimes we move away from each other and let the space between us become an area where we can freely move.
To keep the right balance between closeness and distance requires hard work, especially since the needs of the partners may be quite different at a given moment. One might desire closeness while the other wants distance. One might want to be held while the other looks for independence. A perfect balance seldom occurs, but the honest and open search for that balance can give birth to a beautiful dance, worthy to behold.

For further reflection...
"See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me."[Song of Songs 2: 11-13 (NIV)]
Your response...
What helps you find the right balance in relationships that Henri describes?

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Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Scripture chosen by L. Yeskoo.
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