Gubbio being talked about in Rome!  Mary Litell, a Franciscan and our longest serving Board member, reports that one of her sisters ran into San Francisco Archbishop Cordileone in Rome. And the thing she and the Archbishop started discussing? The wonderful project back in San Francisco that the order supports generously each month and that the Archbishop is keen to get to again.     

"I love you" bombed!  I was walking down Market St. between 5th and 6th on my way to work last week when out of the blue a man jumps toward me, takes my arm, looks into my eyes and says, grinning from ear to ear, "I love you! Thanks so much for your work at Gubbio!"  What a wonderful gift this sometimes guest of Gubbio gave me that morning.  Instead of being photobombed, I'd been "I love you" bombed.  

Common Ground. A Gubbio volunteer told me the other day that she experienced a real spiritual transformation.  It wasn't in working with the guests (though they are the sole reason she comes to Gubbio) - it was with a clergy member with whom she disagreed on a number of issues. When the clergy started to talk of his love for the Gubbio Project - its simplicity, its importance - a real connection, like the one we hope for with guests, happened.  Hoorah for openness!      

"Just like the Hilton!" This is what Del Seymour, Board member and founder/director of Tenderloin Walking Tours, had to say the other day after watching Tina, one of our two Hospitality Monitors wake someone up.  Tina explained the woman had asked for a 'wake-up call' at 10:45 because she had an appointment at 11:30.  Just one of the many extra services and kindnesses my co-workers and the volunteers do to make the lives of those sleeping on the pews just a little easier and a little more comfortable.  Dare I say, "Better than the Hilton?"