Sister Moon, Sister Water

Sister Moon, Sister Water

Sisterhood is powerful.  

Especially if your sisters are Sister Moon and Sister Water. 

With my UCC clergy colleagues I spent two days in retreat this week with the Franciscans of San Damiano Retreat Center.  The spirit of St. Francis pervades this place of beauty; it felt like we were constantly humming along with him his “Canticle to All Creation.”

“Praise be to you, my Lord,

Through Sister Moon and the stars;

In heaven you formed them

Clear and precious and beautiful.”

At dusk on Sunday, looking east over Mt. Diablo, our song was:

“Praise to you, O God.

Behold, our Sister Moon rising blood red, eclipsing and ascending.

She is our sister, kin in blood and change.

She is clear and precious and beautiful.”

The fountains at San Damiano gurgle without ceasing, harmony for Francis’ paean to water:

“Praise be to you, my Lord,

Through Sister Water,

Which is useful and humble and precious and chaste.”

To honor Francis we took short showers, and were frugal at the sink.  Our bathroom song (always fun to sing in the shower) was:

“Praise to you, O God,

For our Sister Water,

So very, very precious. 

We too are humbled in gratitude,

And if by chaste you mean saying no,

We’ll say no to wasting water.”

Francis called both Moon and Water, “precious.”

Thanks, soul sisters.