A sense of place with Gretchen Martens
Photo by Gretchen Martens taken in Belize, 2021.
Gretchen Martens says the minute her vehicle drove up to the 1800s Pennsylvania farmhouse where she now lives, her body knew - maybe even before her mind - that she was home. Feeling deeply connected to the land, she recalls spending half an hour walking around the property before even going into the house. Beautiful trees populated the landscape, and the air felt clean.
“The minute I drove up to the house, there was this peace,” Martens says. “On my mother’s side, I come from a generation of farmers in Northern Illinois. And, even though I don’t have ancestors from Pennsylvania, I still have such a sense of place here on this farm.”
It feels like a blessing, she says.
Martens, a writer, editor and spiritual companion, has spent the past several years traveling and living in various places she has called home. From Thailand, to Dallas, to Belize and then West Virginia before settling in Pennsylvania she has listened and paid attention to the Divine as each place was calling her to a holy more. And through it all, she has been closely connected to Retreat House Spirituality Center mostly through her work as our House of book editor and most recently as the host of our monthly writer’s gathering.
Gretchen Martens
We recently connected with Martens on our podcast where we spent time talking about her desire to facilitate welcome and support for fellow writers as well as our upcoming book and writing invitation House of Gratitude. Her background as a former archeologist combined with her love of nature and storytelling as well as her close connection to the history and evolution of Retreat House make this an especially rich conversation
If you’re a subscriber to our online platform Circle, you can listen to the podcast episode. If you’re not, send us a note to become one!
Here is a snippet of our conversation with Martens. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Retreat House: Will you shed some light on how and why you left Belize?
Martens: I had a realization that I was not going to be able to grow my healing practice in Belize. I needed to either give up this part of my calling or return to U.S. My initial plan was to live in West Virginia at a retreat center with a friend. After arriving there, I realized that it just wasn’t a fit. In August 2023, I moved to Berkley Springs, West Virginia into a 100 year-old property that was an old inn. I was up on the second floor with a beautiful view of the valley. Three months in, the elderly landlord approached me letting me know that the property had been sold. I had to move again.
I had done some journeying around the question of where am I supposed to be? I think I expected to hear or discover a specific town or city but instead I was shown this emotional space like when you get to the place you are meant to be this is how you will feel.
I now live in a renovated 1898 farmhouse which sits on a working farm. It is surrounded by woodlands and cornfields The minute I drove up to this farm house, I felt deeply connected to the land. It was kind of bizarre. I come on mother’s side from generations of farmers. So there very much is this sense of place here. The house is big, and I have this small retreat center for writers and healing clients. If clients want to come and stay here, they can. It has been very unexpected, but I do feel I was led here by God. I feel deeply connected and at peace. All these beautiful trees. It feels like a blessing.
Retreat House: Will you share some of your origin story of how you became acquainted with the Retreat House community?
Martens: I met Lil Smith who is a co-founder of the community back in 2016 or 2017, about six months before Retreat House opened. I was doing some work for Compassionate DFW. I was looking for a space to hold a salon. Lil was showing me around and the more I learned more about the community, the more I realized it was a good fit for me personally. I was initially involved in planning the first year anniversary celebration. I helped to organize the quilt that hangs in the Midway. I’ve been involved in different ways at different times. It’s been a beautiful journey.
It is a longer story, but I had always had a dream of being an ex-pat. I had lived in Thailand right before getting to know Retreat House. There was always a plan to go abroad again but that plan was diverted when my dad died. I ended up living in Dallas and was much more integrated into Retreat House during that time. After the first wave of the pandemic, there was a break. I thought it was letting up and thought it would be a good time to fulfill my ex-pat dreams again. Asia’s borders were closed so I chose Belize. It had always been on my short list.
My intention was to spend three months and explore, but I fell in love with it and stayed one and a half years through the pandemic. Then, my life changed when I realized I could’t do the healing work of companioning others that I was meant to do, so I came back to the States.
To listen to this full interview, you can visit our online platform Circle. If you’re not a subscriber of Circle and would like to become one, send us a note!
A photo from Gretchen’s porch in Pennsylvania.
This interview was created by Emily Turner Watson. She is a trained spiritual director, writer and partner of Retreat Houst Spirituality Center. She is also host of Tending Spaces to Bear Spiritual Fruit, a podcast produced by Retreat House. Part of her ministry is to hold space for emotional and spiritual healing and connections through listening, writing and prayer.