In Need of Living Water

The weather has been very hot lately; and as someone whose personal preference is cool weather, I find cold water important to have around. Sometimes though, even as I keep drinking water, the heat takes its toll. Chilling in the heat, I know my body needs to rehydrate and cool off. It can be easy to take clean water for granted where the turn of a handle gives that in a reliable fashion of varying temperatures. Yet, water is a necessary liquid for our bodies to function. Found in cells, tissues and organs, water allows our body to function properly in varying temperatures and is a large portion of our physical makeup.

Visiting the Des Moines Botanical Garden, I walked to the waterfall at one end of the outdoor gardens. The sun was hot, my hands were hot, there wasn’t a sign saying don’t touch; so my hand went into the waterfall. I was splashed with droplets and felt the cooling impact where the moisture landed. Wonderfully refreshing, it took a measure of self-control to not just remove my tennis shoes and opt for a stroll through the pool in front of the falls.

Water to nourish, to cool, to bring life to arid places; indeed a liquid necessary for life. Then, there is this living water referred to in John 4. Living water, a self-replenishing gift, is offered. The liquid that is necessary for our physical life to continue is found in the well. The living water found in Christ is offered freely, as a gift, drawn from his well spring that never runs dry. It is not the refreshment from the heat of the day that it offers; but healing from the burns of the world.

 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

Buckets of Refreshing

Overall, this summer has been extremely pleasant for someone who is not a fan of high heat.  Cool days and cooler nights have come to a temporary end as the heat arrived and seems to want to stay.  My plants that seemed refreshed and able to handle the heat this morning were bowed down and droopy by this afternoon.  The soil seemed as if the moisture was evaporated out at such a rate that what was okay this morning was completely dry by evening.  Grabbing the bucket and filling it up multiple times from the garden hose, plants were watered slowly.  Too fast and the water just rolls off.  Slowly, repetitively, water needs to be added, allowing it to sink in.  One time watered, two time watered, and slowly I watched the water sink in.  After an evening and night to soak in the new water, tomorrow the plants will be recharged.  Of course, that is water for one day.  Tomorrow evening, in this heat, water will also be needed again.

I feel like these plants sometimes.  The heat of a busy day arrives and what started out as refreshed ends as drooped and bowed to the sun.  I can feel dried out, over extended and badly in need of refreshing.  In fact, I’ve been feeling that way in the last few months off and on.  Wonderful opportunities to be involved in so many different projects and activities, doing great things to serve – things I want to do.  But, without refreshing I will be as dry as that dirt.  Yet, I have noticed that as refreshing comes from the Lord, and it does come, it comes like the water from the bucket – a little at a time.  It came in watching fawns for some time this afternoon.  It came from an unexpected encounter waving to a friend during an afternoon.  It came from seeing a shooting star, a hummingbird, and a friend’s smile.  A child’s exuberant and unencumbered praise of Christ, the time in prayer, and the words of the Bible all come like cool water and refresh my spirit. 

Yes, I do bow with the heat and the dryness that life can bring, just with the schedule of things I love to do.  And yet, I am continuing to find each day, buckets slowly added to bring refreshing.  

Taking It All With Me

The trip is winding down, and here at about a half-way point between the Black Hills and home in Iowa, it’s time to get some sleep.  Packing up this morning, rarely my favorite thing to do, I was consoling myself that even though I was leaving a beautiful place, I was going to take many things back with me. 

The buffalo herd moves across the grasses, mostly in a slow and loose conglomeration of shaggy creatures.  Babies test out their legs, and discover hopping and running to their great joy.  The mamas look as if they hope the babies will do several more laps to be naptime ready sooner rather than later.  The herd sentries grunt back and forth; passing along directional, pace, and herd behavior instructions.  Rolling in the dust, sturdy buffalo legs stretch in wallowing holes to take dust baths.  Tiny cow birds gather around the buffalo, partners in their environment.  The calves stretch out next to their mommas, soak in the sun, and wake recharged and hungry.  They try to add their own grunts, with baby voices that are much higher than the adults surrounding them.  I will take them with me.

Antelope, elegant creatures of patterned colors, perch high on hills and low in the gullies.  They tend to pretend that human viewers are simply not there, conspicuously ignoring the person within view.  Watching the antelope, quietly munching the grasses and moving along the hill lines, I love their patterned looks and the sounds of their quiet grass clipping.  I will take them with me.

Sylvan Lake, Legion Lake, Stockade Lake, and several other lake spots reflect the pines, snow, and rock formation.  The ducks and geese that make their homes in the waters take turns honking and quacking at each other, flapping around in a merry chase of territorial nesting crankiness.  The air is full of pine smell, clean and sweet.  The water, still frozen in some places, is cold with spring snow melt.  Little fish dart in and out of the cattails.  Tiny birds played as they move in and out of the reeds.  An osprey dipped and dove into the waters.  The trails around the ponds and lakes are each different.  The Sylvan Lake path leads past the waters framed in low rocks to a path sided by tall rock walls.  The pines and birch trees close to the rocks are still encased in thick snows.  Higher up, where the sun is hitting, the snow has melted to form icicles that glow in the sunshine like jewels.  I will take them with me.

Blue birds perch on the fences and bird houses.  Tiny spots of sky blue, they are like little sky streaks that dart around.  The females are toned in browns, like little paintings that reflect the good soils and stones around them, delicate in coloring and well disguised in their environment.  The meadow lark sings the most beautiful song, loudly and joyfully from tree branches, fence posts, and anywhere else they can find.  Yellow, with a swirl of black on their chest, these birds are as beautiful to see as they are to hear.  Magpies, white

and dark blue, dart about as if they are the supermodels and everyone else should pause to watch.  They are beautiful, and I do pause.  A strutting turkey, fluffed up and gliding over pine needle covered ground attempting, all in the attempt to impress a hen was a beautiful sight.  She was even chasing him for a few minutes, so apparently it was working.  The gobble gobble and cluck cluck of the turkey was fun to hear.  The pheasants, hawks, burrowing owls, and noisy crows were all there and all so wonderful to see.  I will take them with me.

I have met wonderful people.  A woman on an adventure who displays warmth and caring in her work, will have a collection of stories that is worthy of writing in a much shared book.  A local small store owner brings Bob the Manager to the store each day to “work” as a greeter.  Bob is a liver colored lab who likes belly rubs and to show off his big blue toy bone.  The Custer Chamber of Commerce awarded Bob as having friendliest customer service; all because his person brought him to work and let those who visit the store enjoy that personality.  Another woman has picked up the pieces of her life and found a passion for photography that has inspired her to make more than a so-so existence, but to enrich the lives of others around her.  I felt as if she was looking to share, as one who cares about an art wants to share it with another.   A gentleman is warmly greeting guests, even as he is a guest here.  I hope that he feels as welcome

in the Custer area as he made us feel.  A retired rancher, working at the Wild Horse Sanctuary, let me see the plains through his eyes.  Grasses, sustainability, the balance cycle of predator and prey, water conservation, and the joy of spring’s arrival from the presence of a burrowing owl were only the frosting on the cupcake.  His love of the horses and caring for them and their preservation was something that could be described more as a passion than a job.  People who have greeted, smiled, welcomed, and been kind – I will take them with me.

Snow falling so gently while enveloped in the heat of the steam and water of a hot tub, watching deer eat their dinner just beyond the pines from the same hot tub, and the sound of migratory ducks and geese as they fly over - they are all cabin memories.  Tucked near an outcropping of rock, the cabin was a quiet landing place at the end of a day.  With a gas stove fire started, the living room was toasty and the perfect place to end a day flipping through pictures.  A kind hearted woman owns the cabins and so wants to share her joy of the cabins with those who stay there.  I will take these with me.

These are just a few of the things I will take home with me.  I packed them all so gently in my luggage and have them with me even now.  They are many more, and those also I will take with me.

Coffee & Water Break

   A long time ago, I lived in Florida and there were two hurricanes. The first went through, and then the second followed only a month later. If you have never been through a hurricane, think tornado, but magnified over and over. Midst the roads that had been swept away, the flooding, the wind and storm damage, there was a small army of people who went out and started working. There were crews putting back the lines, repairing piping, patrolling, and in general putting the town back together. Working in the heat and humidity, the crews there received a mix of thanks and hostile hurry ups.

   Just this week in Iowa we have had a blizzard, in a storm that covered many states with snow and ice. There are many people who were left without power, in very messy snow drifted and ice covered circumstances. People headed out into the crazy weather, to do their job and help others. It is easy to complain, to moan and groan about circumstances. But, let’s remember those people who are working hard, as their own driveways remain needing plowed and their only families are missing them. Let’s remember to take them coffee and water and say thank you. You can make a difference to your community as well.

Flood

   I had never seen a flood before I moved here. Oh, I have been through two hurricanes, tornadoes, and wild snow storms. But, flood plains were just never part of the topography. Then, I saw my first flood. I was amazed at the volume of water that it was composed of. It could move the bedrock under streets until there was no street there. Houses could topple into the water. Just water, not rapids, just a current but higher volume would move tremendous objects. It seemed to stay at flood level for a long time, the water inching back down so slowly. I’m sure to those who had homes that were now small islands, it was an achingly slow process.

   Sometimes our lives can be a lot like floods. It’s not so much that it suddenly becomes rapids with whitecaps, but that the volume changes and continues to build in pressure. We feel things snap, move, become sodden. And the time it takes for things to change can be so slow that we miss the movement. But, take heart. The waters go down. There is a mess to clean up, but then it’s done. We can rebuild something stronger, better.

Row of Flowers

Sitting in church Sunday, in the pew row directly to my front and right there were several little girls sitting together. Made up of sisters and friends with the age range spreading throughout elementary school, the pew was soon covered with a variety of toys, coloring, and other little girl things. They were such fun to watch. During the worship, they were combinations of movement as they sang and danced, colored and wrote. My mother referred to them as a row of flowers. In many ways, they were just that.

A row of little lives, small but important, precious and unique moments caught and made up in their movements and actions. Planted in the love their parents have for each of them, watered as people pour themselves into them, fed with care and hope – such a beautiful little row of flowers indeed. Perhaps a hyacinth, a lupine, a daisy, a lavender, and a peony all in a row. Each has its own color, fragrance, structure, and distinctiveness. But, they are each beautiful flowers in the garden.
Looking at these little flowers in the row, I found myself wondering who else would water them, prune, weed around, and feed them. Who else will recognize their beauty and potential and pour themselves in, in an investment of future of growth? They are special flowers, will you help them to grow?

Unexpected or Unwanted Blessings

When I think of a blessing, I generally think of something I would like or something I need or want. Perhaps it’s a financial or health need, something that would benefit a friend, or an unexpected help that takes care of a problem. Or it could be the beautiful pink blooms of the tulip tree that just sings spring to me in the most beautiful way. The fox that comes to eat seed and eggs outside my window and is a joy to see, or perhaps the feel of clean sheets. Those are all blessings.
But, an incident occurred about a week ago which made me wonder if it was a blessing, but in disguise. Disguise, now my mind just jumped into super hero land with capes and masks. Identity kept secret for the protection of the individual. Why would a blessing be in disguise though? Obviously it wonAt have a cape and mask, but perhaps it is not in disguise. Perhaps, it is just not wanted. Or at least, initially perceived that way.


So, this is how it all happened…. Easter Sunday, home from church, plans to have a day of rest. Those are lovely things which happen all too infrequently in my life. Coming in, settling down to get ready for a wonderful Easter lunch of homemade pizza (let’s start a new tradition – yummy!), my mom opens the washer door. Instead of removing a damp quilt from the washer to be placed into the dryer, water poured out. I mean poured out! She stood there in shock, with an equally shocked sound coming out of her mouth. “Shut the door!” The door slammed shut. By then, water was quickly spreading across the floor in all directions. A basket of dirty towels to be washed were dumped in the middle of the puddle and the clean up started. I say started, because the water went under the washer and dryer.
YUCK!!!! This was not the Easter afternoon we had planned! Where was pizza and maybe a walk, perhaps some time outside and then a movie? This was messy and yucky and wet. But, it had to be cleaned up. So, we started cleaning and drying and cleaning and drying, mopping up everything that could be easily reached. Then, it was time to tackle the small lakes that had gathered under the washer and dryer. After some rather comical moments of my mom climbing over the washer and dryer to get behind them, I warned her that this was coming, wet lint started being tossed up from behind the dryer onto the top of the machine. Double yuck! Lint is bad enough, but wet lint! A blessing in disguise? How about a blessing disguised in dryer lint?

Let’s peel away that mask and take a look at what was there. The dryer lint that was collecting was a fire hazard. So, the great dryer and washer flood resolved that issue, the lint was removed.
Mom climbed back over the dryer and washe.  I think she was planning to douse me in dryer lint if I went and got my camera. We were laughing pretty hard by now. Was it something unwanted? Yes, I mean who really wants a great flood under the washer and dryer? But, was it perhaps an unexpected blessing, as a fire hazard was found and removed? Absolutely!
I still don’t know why the washer stopped when it did, to create the pouring out onto the floor, but I think it may have just been an unwanted blessing. Thank heaven for those!