Dear URI friends,
A beautiful morning was enriched even more by participating in the San Francisco Interfaith Council's (a CC of URI) monthly breakfast, where water was the focus.
About 60 leaders from diverse faiths gathered to learn about the drought in California and how congregations and individuals can get wise about water use. I Ioved the integration of the program: a warm, welcoming spirit of friendship; a Middle Eastern breakfast offered by Church Women United in support of Egyptian women working with an environmental program called Streams in the Desert; representatives from Public Utilities Commission; and a personal story from a man named Tree who maintains a "Free Farm Stand" in San Francisco.
Krithika and I offered an interfaith prayer dedicated to water. Our prayer invited folks to embody water in lovely movements called "The Water Series."
Standing in stillness, like still water, we shared a prayer written by Francis Rico, a shaman living in Petaluma,CA:
We give thanks to you, Great Spirit, for all the wonderful gifts you have bestowed upon us. We are grateful to you for our lives here on our beloved Mother Earth.
At this time of critical change, we ask you, Great Spirit, for strength and courage. We ask you to help each one of us gain the understanding and wisdom we need to heal, to love one another, and to finally realize peace.
We ask you to help each one of us become more aware of our responsibilities in caring for all life on this beautiful planet.
We know deep inside that we are a part of you - that we are a part of all creation. We intend to become caretakers of our planet. We will open our hearts to honor, respect and care for our natural environment.
The weather changes that are occurring all over the Earth are a wake-up call.
It is time for us to co-create a more loving, compassionate, thriving, and vibrant world. Together, we can restore the integrity and healing powers of our water, air, and land - to build a sustainable future for our children. Together, we can do this as One Family, working together to fulfill our purpose on this Earth.
Now, on behalf of the One Family of land, and plants, and birds, and animals, and fish - on behalf of all living beings - we ask for rain to nurture our thirsty world. We ask for rain for our streams and rivers and lakes, for our oceans, and for the river of life that flows within each of us. We recognize that clean fresh water is more precious than gold, and we gratefully turn our faces to the sky. Thank you for the gift of rain.
Aho
