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Column: Watering provides time to think

‘There is something about water streaming from a hose that frees our imaginations’

Standing there, standing there, standing there, with garden hose in hand — watering, watering, watering.

It does give us time to think as we stand there watering.

We look around at our gardens and observe that while a short time ago they were green, growing and alive, now large patches of them are brown, dry and dead.

This is a heartbreak.

However, this watering process does enable us, perhaps even compels us to think. Are we ready to go beyond the realm of thinking and into the realm of meditation? There is something about water streaming from a hose that frees our imaginations to reach new areas of thought. Areas beyond the wise sayings of Donald Trump, or wondering what we might do if we won the lottery.

What if we were to read the first Psalm in the Bible? Its wisdom has been with us for thousands of years and is the voice of the ages. It is Psalm One that speaks of the believer as being the one whose “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in it’s season, and his leaf does not wither, in all he does he prospers.”

This is a wonderful psalm for contemplation. The reality is, that our heavenly thoughts are disturbed by worldly reality, such as that infernal motorcycle that fires up at 7 a.m. every morning and roars off into the distance because the owner is late yet again.

Or, what of the temptation to watch one’s wife as she makes early entrance into the garden to deadhead the flowers. See how the morning sun dances in her hair? Why by simply moving the hose in her direction you could splash... no, we had best get back to meditation and away from mischief.

We would be enriched powerfully if we were to meditate on Him day and night. We might as well, we are out there watering anyway.

The best way to do this is to read the Bible and Psalm One is a very good place to begin. As we read of Him and realize that our delight is in Jesus who died for our sins, He blesses us with eternal life. This watering program may turn out to be a helpful discipline after all.

Will there be a hefty water bill at the end of the summer? Yes, we still live on this amazing planet Earth.

— Rev. Douglas Patstone is the Rector of

Christ’s Church (Oceanside) in Nanoose Bay.

E-mail: patricia.patstone@gmail.com