Henri Nouwen, who died in 1996, was one of the most outstanding spiritual leaders of the recent times. A priest, academic and author of over forty books, many of which remain in print, his ministry found a new depth of expression when he joined l‘Arche, the residential communities founded by Jean Vanier for people with profound learning disabilities. Living and working among them, the themes he had explored in his writing and speaking took on a deeper resonance. A frequent theme in many of his writings is that we are all beloved of God and discovering this to be true for ourselves is the key to becoming fully alive and fully human, no matter what our gifts or abilities or lack of them.

This book and CD package is created from an interview he gave some fifteen years ago in which he reflects on this theme and on the many practical aspects of daily life in which the realisation that we are uniquely loved makes a transformative difference. Loneliness is changed to creative solitude and solitude becomes community when we learn to see ourselves and others as beloved.