We’ve recently celebrated Passover, Easter, Earth Day, and Arbor Day. Pope Francis died, and probably by the time you read this, there will be a new pope. We are grateful for the example Pope Francis left us. Incarcerated people were a priority for him. He visited prisons, washed the feet of the individuals there, and brought a message of hope. In his will, he left financial resources for programming at a youth facility in Rome. He also taught us a great deal about our responsibilities to nature and to care for the web of life that supports all of us.
As always, we continue to learn so much from the people we accompany in soul care. Personal relationships and caring for creation bring healing to all of us.
Healing My Soul
Kelly (not her real name) is serving a long sentence in the women’s prison. She recently told us that the regular sessions with her Restoring Connections soul care mentor are the “most authentic part of my existence here. These regular meetings are healing my soul. I’ve discovered that I have a calling.”
Most of the time, when you encounter Kelly, she smiles at you and greets you warmly. She enjoys making a positive contribution to others. “I’ve discovered a sense of purpose. I’ve learned I have value and a great deal to give. I don’t have to get through this time. I now use this time to make the environment a little better, to continually work on my own healing, and to bring good. I can’t undo the harm I caused that brought me here. But I can focus every day on helping instead of hurting.”
Kelly got permission to start a garden. For two years now, she has brought beauty into a stark environment. The garden provides flowers and fresh vegetables that they did not have before. It also gives her the opportunity to be a role model for some of the younger women who “have so much potential, but are just drifting.” She hopes to offer them a value system, cooperative experiences, and gardening skills that can help them when they get out.
Kelly told us that her ultimate hope is to foster community in her unit. We need to care about each other, recognize and support each other’s gifts, and look out for each other. She notices the joy that the garden brings and hopes that it teaches how easy it is to make beauty instead of ugliness.
Officers, staff, and other inmates stop by and offer what they can and enjoy the ongoing progress. The staff member in charge of the coffee shop for officers donates the burlap bags which Kelly fills with soil and seedlings. Others save and offer the seeds from a green pepper or tomato they just consumed for the next planting.
“Because of soul care mentoring, the time I do here is not wasted. My mentor helped me discover, the seeds of life in all the trauma I experienced. I hope I’m planting seeds for others and then they do the same for someone else.”
We’re Planting Trees
Planting season is here and through a cooperative relationship with Arbor Day Foundation, we are planting trees in memory of loved ones. One of the biggest losses in prison is the inability to “be there” when a family member dies. Even the ability to grieve is smothered. Having a tree planted in memory is a small thing, but it brings hope and life.
Gratitude
We are so grateful to the Denver Presbytery, to Community of Grace Presbyterian Church and to Central Denver Presbyterian for their continued investment in our healing work.