Water

This past Saturday I set out walking for morning Mass.  About half way to the Mass heavy rain began.  It felt in many ways like a tropical storm in that it blew up very quickly and without notice there was torrential rain. I noticed one tiny spot next to a tree that seemed somewhat dry so I moved very close to the base.  As it was early there were almost no cars on the road and all one could hear was the heavy sound of large amounts of water hitting the ground. As I do not have a cell phone and do not drive due to a disability with my joints there did not seem many options other than to wait.  The Church was still a good distance off.  I noticed a farmers porch on a house not far away with shelter, as the tree seemed to provide only partial protection. Making my way to the porch I found it a safe and dry place to wait.  Knowing that I did not have much extra time to wait before I would be late for Mass, I began to pray very hard.  This would be my only opportunity to go to Mass that day so I very much did not want to miss it.  As I prayed I began to feel more and more like a child.  Realizing I was powerless to change the situation my only recourse was to seek the help of my Heavenly Father and also ask Our Blessed Mother for her intercession to see me safely to Mass on time.  After a short time, I began to see sun breaking through and the rain lessening a bit.  When the rain was light enough to venture out from under the porch I was once again on my way.  As I walked the rain became lighter and lighter and the sky looked much brighter as I headed closer to the Church.  I was consoled by the fact that I heard no church bells so I knew it was not yet 8AM.  Whether it was the knowledge that I had little time to get there and my step was faster or my stay under the porch was not as long as it seemed, I was surprised to find I arrived at Mass with an extra 5 minutes to prepare myself for the beginning of Mass.  As the Mass ended, my 8 year old son came in letting me know that he and my husband were there to drive me home as they had seen the heavy rain that had rolled in.  

Unexpected news greeted me when I saw my husband.  He had bad news.  My mom had called and she and our two other children who were helping her at her farm, had a sad discovery the prior night.  Her well had gone dry.  We both knew the seriousness of this as she has farm animals that need water in addition to herself.  I immediately asked Asher to say some extra prayers for his grandmother and her well which he did immediately.  We all were deeply shaken by the news. 

Water has a way of bringing us to our knees.  In a span of just over an hour I experienced the two extremes of water: either too much or too little.  Each one stops you immediately.
Although my mother lives relatively close to our home, only a 40 minute drive, her town had missed many of the light rain we had gotten that month.  Even the heavy down pour I had experienced that morning had missed her.  Yet later that day and for three days following the skies seemed to open up and release an incredible amount of rain.  While her well is far from fine small amounts of brown water have returned and we are hopeful she will have clean water soon from her well.

Last night in speaking to a new group leader who lives in rural Texas near the Mexico border she shared that while her region is usually very dry, this past week they experienced heavy rains there as well.  As her home is on a large ranch that supports sheep, goats and cattle the rain brought a quick return to green in her region.  She spoke beautifully how after long periods of almost no rain, sometimes droughts lasting years, a deep rain can bring a return to a green landscape in just a few days. When we spoke she had just returned from an evening walk which she said was exquisite.  We had some time and she told me a great deal about her home and the history behind her church and the ranch she lives on.  She spoke of her life being in many ways similar to the stories in the Old Testament.  She mentioned for the past three years there has been extreme drought which has been hard on the animals and her family.  Yet then there are good years with rain and abundant growth and the animals do very well.  She said on average it seems there are several bad years for every year of abundance.  Yet despite such hardship that comes through a lack of water she spoke with joy about living so close to the land. She loved raising her children on the ranch and seeing the beauty of the vastness of the land.  

Indeed it is a beautiful thing to stay close to the earth and treasure the gifts that are given such as the water that falls to the ground to bring new life and growth to those around us.  Water indeed has a way of humbling us and drawing us deeper into prayer and dependence on Our Lord.

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