It may be that we have lost our ability to hold a blazing coal, to move unfettered through time, to walk on water, because we have been taught that such things have to be earned; we should deserve them; we must be qualified. We are suspicious of grace. We are afraid of the very lavishness of the gift.
But a child rejoices in presents!
— Madeleine L’Engle, quoted in Glimpses of Grace, collected by Carole F. Chase
Photo: South Riding, Virginia, January 20, 2024