Maria and the Superpower of Inspiration

Dear family, friends, and community,

Like all of us, I am a small earthling. I live on this planet, searching, discovering, and encountering other earthlings. I make mistakes, I learn, and I share both joy and sorrow. I live in Germany, and a few years ago, I had the chance to meet Maria. We set out to document and film her life story - a story so dramatic, so deeply moving and transformative, that it's hard to capture. Parts of this story and some of her encounters with me are preserved in her book, Ten Days in Berlin. Each of us has our own story with Maria. Mine, and here I get to the heart of my message, has been wonderfully transformed by her superpower of inspiration.

Through Maria, I discovered and experienced an extraordinary love, strength, and confidence that is uniquely her own. The times I spent with Maria still move me today to be someone who helps others. For Maria, as I came to know her, this dedication was largely a lifelong commitment to children and young people. For me, it became a calling to help homeless people and street children in Germany - a calling that remains to this day and will continue into the future.

The depth of suffering I first experienced during a visit with Maria in San Francisco changed me profoundly. Those moments and our many conversations about her life have left a magical impact on me. Today, I can say that, through Maria, I have become a happier, stronger, and more fulfilled person. Guided by Maria’s superpower, I strive, whenever I can, to pass on that inspiration. And now, whenever I see a raven, I look up to the sky with joy, smiling up at Maria with happy tears in my eyes: Thank you, Maria, for being there - for me, for us, forever.

Jörg Strombach

Berlin, Germany

October 26, 2024