By Thom Peters, deputy
They will neither hunger nor thirst,
nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.
He who has compassion on them will guide them
and lead them beside springs of water.
--Isaiah 49:10
With
time to get my bearings this morning before the work of Convention was
to begin in earnest, I decided to walk up to the State Capitol
building. I was struck by the number of sprinkler heads at work as I
climbed Arsenal Hill. None were operating on the grand scale or arc I
often see in Connecticut; rather, they tended to be tucked underneath
shrubs, misting more than spraying. There was plenty of green grass and
flowers in beds to be seen. But the backdrop of the bare mountains
looming overhead and the warming temperature as the sun began to rise
reminded me of how dry Utah is. Then I realized why the sink in my room
was so shallow and my shower head so broad. What I was seeing was a
sensitivity to the value of water.
With
this new awareness came a new appreciation for water. There are
plenty of fountains to be seen here in Salt Lake City, but they are in
shaded areas where evaporation is minimized. The sound of a fountain was
enough to draw me to take an unmapped short cut through a park. Later I
discovered an artificial "creek" that babbled its way through a
shopping plaza in the center of town, entertaining little children and
grownups alike, drawing me past shops, highlighting sculptures of birds
at play.
I
take the pleasures of water for granted to a great extent in
Connecticut. But here in Salt Lake, I am reminded that it really is a
precious gift. Finally in the Convention Hall, I was reminded of the
fine work of organizations such as Episcopal Relief and Development that
seek to provide clean water to many who do not have this basic
essential resource.
Our deputation will be carrying water bottles with
our ECCT logo on it. I'll carry mine with a new appreciation for the
gift.
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