Gurgles and groans shouted from the spout.  I had pumped soap into my hand, turned the handle and expected water.  Instead, it was a series of burps and protests.  I also noticed that the toilet tank wasn’t filling with water.

“Great,” I thought.  “The water isn’t working.”

I made my way down to the kitchen, checked the kettle for water and tested it to be sure it wasn’t still hot from breakfast.  Deeming it safe, I used some of it to rinse the soap from my hands.  Only a little, mind you.  I had a few bottles of spring water in the cellar, but other than that, the water in that tea kettle was all we had.  It was now quite precious.  Who knew when we’d have water again?

My husband stopped in to tell me that the road was torn up at the town’s main intersection and it appeared they were working on the pipes.  “It’s a good-sized hole,” he explained.  “Could be without water for a while,” he added before heading back out.

Every half hour or so, I’d turn a handle to see if we had water yet.  The hours passed (okay, we were maybe 4 hours without water, but it seemed like an eternity!)  I was home alone, but still rationed the bottled water – a few sips here, a few sips there –  and used hand sanitizer rather than pouring more of the kettle’s precious water down the drain.

“I really want to shower,” I kept thinking.  “I could go to mom and dad’s.  They have a well.  Sure I’m allergic to the cats and might have a serious asthma attack.  ER here I come, but hey, I’ll be clean!”

“O Lord!  What if it isn’t back on in time for dinner?  I can’t rinse the vegetables without water!”

Thought after thought kept me distracted throughout our waterless hours.

“Let me check again,” I thought for the gazillionth time.  Burp, groan, gurgle then water!  Hallelujah! We have water!  It’s cloudy; I’ll have to boil it before I drink it.  But hurray!  I can take a shower!  I can wash my vegetables!

After enjoying the return of running water, I settled down with a cup of coffee and scanned some of my emails.  One was from Convoy of Hope.  It celebrated the installation of a water purification system in a village in the Philippines.  Most of the water available to this village is unsafe and the supply is small.  Children with smiling faces drank clear, cool water, likely for the first time in their lives.

“I bet they don’t complain if they can’t shower every day,” I thought, looking at those precious faces.

There’s so much in life we take for granted.  Safe, running water is something that most people in the United States have.  Electricity, indoor plumbing, a roof that doesn’t leak are luxuries to so many around the world.  Most of us complain if the market is out of our favorite ice cream.  Heaven forbid our cell phones don’t work or our cable or internet goes out.  Any more than a few hours disconnected from the universe and we’re screaming for justice.  We just assume things like water will always be there.

We are a nation swimming in blessings.  Unfortunately, we don’t take the time to recognize it.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning,” James 1:17.  God has blessed us greatly.  Let us never forget what He has done.  Take inventory of the many blessings in your life and give thanks to God.  Never forget that there are people who would rejoice over something as simple as running water.