Water and Life

During this dry summer I’ve become more and more aware of the preciousness of water. I spent some time at Mercy Retreat Center in Colorado Springs. And that gave me a firsthand view of the life giving power of water. Outdoor watering definitely happened as needed. However, instead of grass around three of the residential areas there was: 1) a tended vegetable garden; 2) a fenced in chicken area (home to 27 chickens  giving organic eggs daily after munching on the weeds pulled from the nearby garden); and, 3) a large earthen area that created a permanent labyrinth.

Each of these seemed to say to me, “Look at me. I love giving life to you and creating quiet spaces that reveal the presence of the Holy One.”

There were the days when rain anointed everything. As I watched the first drop cling to the window, it quickly revealed its simple majestic essence. And when it did, gratefulness accompanied the droplet’s shout of “Let there be life!”

Immediately it brought to mind the words of Mahmûd Shabistari. “Penetrate the heart of just one drop of water, and you will be flooded by hundreds of oceans”. May oceans of gratefulness flood our hearts as we marvel at every drop of water that moistens our thirsty being this day.

Sister Mary Rachel Kuebelbeck, O.S.B.