Drinking water

How do you get your drinking water? From the faucet, a drinking fountain, bottled water???

This is a daily miracle and blessing that we don't often think about.

In my home, there is an inside faucet, bringing water to the sink. I don't have to carry large plastic jugs to the public tap or nearby stream to collect the water for the house. Families and small children frequently walk up to a mile or more to fetch water to bring back home.

About 2 gallons each morning and night are loaded into the water filter. After 10-12 hours there is enough safe water to fill 500 ml water bottles to cool in the fridge. Water from the tap has to be heated and boiled for 10 minutes before we put it into thermos jugs for having tea later on.

Each guard (one shift each night, and 6 day shifts in the week) needs a 2 liter bottle of drinking water and a large flask of water for tea. We drink a lot of water, especially when we are 5 adults in the house. The filter doesn't make enough for all our uses, so frequently I boil up 3-4 gallons to use later on. The gas cooker/stove makes this a lot easier than the charcoal stoves used by local people or the firewood stoves used in the villages.

For fresh vegetable salads, it is healthiest to use the purified water for cleaning the vegetables from the dirt or whatever. Tap water may do the job, but the bacteria count is likely to be higher than is comfortable or even safe.

So today, when you can easily grab some water to drink any time you wish, give thanks. And pray for those who have no water without lots of work....if there is water available.