(Softcover; Doubleday Image Books, 1988; Pp.228)
When Henri Nouwen left the world of academe and headed for the village of Trosly in France, he sought a place that would lead him “closer to the heart of God.” Arriving at the community of L’Arche in Trosly, he felt as if he had finally “come home.” Indeed, it was destined to change his life forever. The Road To Daybreak is Henri Nouwen’s intimate diary that records his poignant year that began in the summer of 1985 at L’Arche, the community founded by Jean Vanier where assistants and mentally handicapped people live together in the spirit of the Beatitudes. For Nouwen it was a precious time of inner renewal and self-discovery. With simplicity and honesty, he describes how the experience changed his attitudes and enriched his spiritual life. Here he recounts the struggles and self-doubts he faced along this rocky road to a new vocation and introduces us to the people of L’Arche and many others whose impact on him was deep and life lasting. Such was the influence of this experience that he chose to say yes to a call to go to the L’Arche Daybreak community near Toronto, Canada and make it his permanent home and ministry.