A SISTER WITH STORIES. Retired hospital chaplain Moira Kneer has collaborated with her sister, Helen Gierke, who lives in Florida, on a new book, Singing My Sister to Sleep: Life Songs.

In the touching story of two sisters growing up in a life of musical and spiritual fulfillment, Moira Kneer and Helen Gierke’s Singing My Sister to Sleep: Life Songs is an inspirational read that takes the reader on their path through life.

For Kneer, an Eau Claire resident, writing is a new endeavor. Her sister Helen, who resides in Florida, has co-written and contributed to religious songbooks in the past. The two sisters decided to write this series of short stories after Kneer retired from her position as chaplain at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire. Gierke has her doctorate in liturgical studies and theology and is a church administrator.

“Things happen, and you don’t know why. But you look back and you can see that some of the life experiences that you have … they lead you to a place where you can be compassionate and understanding with other people.” – Moira Kneer, co-author of Singing My Sister to Sleep

“All the things that I had seen and done during my time as chaplain had changed the way I thought about a lot of things,” Kneer said. “And it opened my eyes to the importance of connecting with the people around us.”

The book is segmented into stories written from each of the sisters’ points of view. They grew up in a military family, and Kneer was always looking out for her little sister  – Gierke – as they were moving from city to city. “We moved all the time. Helen and I only had each other,” she said. “Our brother passed away at a young age.”

When the two sisters split as they grew older, they took very different paths. Kneer led a life with many hardships, struggling to make ends meet when two of her daughters were diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. Later in life, her youngest daughter would go through multiple organ transplants – which led to her decision to have the proceeds of the book go toward her daughter’s next organ transplant, which will occur this year.

“My son gave her a kidney, now my other daughter is giving a kidney,” she said. “It just happened that the time that this book came about, that the transplant was also taking place.”

Although she and Gierke are geographically separated by many miles, the two share a musical and sisterly relationship that was deftly defined within the pages of their “lifesongs.” “(Gierke) moved around a lot, and life changed for us, but we tried to always stay connected,” Kneer said. “All the ‘lifesongs’ that each of us have come together and make a beautiful symphony that we are all a part of.”

The premise of the book, however, is how Kneer and Gierke have dealt with life’s issues and made the most of detrimental events in their past.

“Things happen, and you don’t know why,” Kneer said. “But you look back and you can see that some of the life experiences that you have … they lead you to a place where you can be compassionate and understanding with other people.”

To learn more about Singing My Sister to Sleep or to purchase a copy, visit www.lifesistersongs.com. The book is also available at The Local Store, 205 N. Dewey St., Eau Claire.