Martin De Porres House of Hospitality

225 Potrero Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94103

415-552-0240

Incline your ear, and come unto me,

hear, and your soul shall live…Isaiah 55:3

SPRING 2000

Dear Friends,

After what seemed to be an endless wet, cold winter, spring has once again come to Martins bringing its miracles. In Loves Garden the crocuses herald the first glance of spring, followed by the orchids, daffodils, camellias, azaleas, cala lilies, geraniums and jasmine. The sun brings its warmth both to the physical and spiritual environment. The storms of fall and winter have cleared, allowing the energy of new birth to face the future.

Over the years at Martins I have watched my own personal ministry deepen and grow. Now in the late autumn of my life, I can acknowledge feelings of futility as I watch our society’s cruelty toward the poor become more systematic and acceptable. I can surrender to the pain when the amount of suffering I see humbles me to the truth. All we can do sometimes is Love and Pray.

I have been blessed with many gifts from God; the greatest being my soul. In the spring of my life, I made a commitment to God to listen to my soul. As the seasons of my life have changed, I have become aware of what parts of my soul are thriving and what parts need tending.

This will be the last Martins Newsletter I will be writing for a while. I have passed a lot of my responsibilities to others in our community. I am in good health. I am being called to continue my spiritual practice of love and prayer more inwardly and intimately. I am taking time to care for my soul.

In this season of my life I am unearthing new levels of my soul. The compost of the past has broken down to be the rich soil in which I have planted new seeds. I am watering these seeds with the tears of both grief and joy. Death has been my constant companion all these years culminating in my father’s death this spring.

Nothing in my life has changed, yet everything has. This journey of the soul has brought me to where I am today at Martins. I am truly blessed with a community that understands and supports this path.

In the greening of spring I see God. I taste God in the soup at Martins. I smell God in the fragrance of flowers. I feel God when I fill the rivers with my tears. I hear God blooming in my soul. I am dancing with the angels as the seeds grow. I am listening to the songbirds’ celestial music. I am learning the truth that the great creator has laid in my heart. I am breathing the prayer of gratitude to the one who kisses us with breath. I am taking more time to love God.

I am a young child in my soul, innocently entering into a kingdom that I have only glimpsed. We all share that kingdom. We live there in our souls.

In God, love is all ways. In Love, we are always together. Thank you for the grace of your love, prayers and support.

In God’s Light,

Barbara