"Late have I loved you, O beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you; now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace." St. Augustine

How long did it take to recognize and respond to the One who loves us for who we are? How many dead ends did we have to experience before we realize that the One we were seeking was within us? In his great love and mecy God waited for us. He never forced his love but offered it freely. Even after we have found him and stll grasped for other pleasures, he never left us. He waits for us to respond to love with love, so that our life can really begin.