Re: The Water/Wanted to share with everyone

In a message dated 07/17/2000 11:17:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time, LinQuilt 
writes:

<< The Water
 
 It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in 
 almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The 
 creeks and streams were long gone back into the earth. It was a dry season 
 that would bankrupt several farmers before it was through. Every day, my 
 husband and his brothers would go about the arduous process of trying to get 
 water to the fields. Lately this process had involved taking a truck to the 
 local water rendering plant and filling it up with water. But severe 
 rationing had cut everyone off. If we didn't see some rain soon...we
 would lose everything.
 
 It was on this day that I learned the true lesson of sharing and witnessed 
 the only miracle I have seen with my own eyes. I was in the kitchen making 
 lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year old son, Billy, 
 walking toward the woods. He wasn't walking with the usual carefree abandon 
 of a youth but with a serious purpose. I could only see his back. He was 
 obviously walking with a great effort...trying to be as still as possible.
 Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, 
 toward the house. I went back to making sandwiches; thinking that whatever 
 task he had been doing was completed.
 
 Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow purposeful 
 stride toward the woods. This activity went on for an hour: walk carefully 
to 
 the woods, run back to the house. Finally I couldn't take it any longer and 
I 
 crept out of the house and followed him on his journey (being very careful 
 not to be seen...as he was obviously doing important work and didn't need 
his 
 Mommy checking up on him). He was cupping both hands in front of him as he 
 walked; being very careful not to spill the water he held in them...maybe 
two 
 or three tablespoons were held in his tiny hands. I sneaked close as he went 
 into the woods. Branches and thorns slapped his little face but he did not 
 try to avoid them. He had a much higher purpose. As I leaned in to spy on 
 him, I saw the most amazing site. Several large deer loomed in front of him. 
 Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away. A huge 
 buck with elaborate antlers was dangerously close. But the buck did not 
 threaten him...he didn't even move as Billy knelt down. And I saw a tiny 
fawn 
 laying on the ground, obviously suffering from dehydration and heat 
 exhaustion, lift its head with great effort to lap up the water cupped in my 
 beautiful boy's hand. When the water was gone, Billy jumped up to run back 
to 
 the house and I hid behind a tree. I followed him back to the house; to a 
 spigot that we had shut off the water to. Billy opened it all the way up and 
 a small trickle began to creep out. He knelt there, letting the drip,
 drip slowly fill up his makeshift "cup," as the sun beat down on his little 
 back.
 
 And it came clear to me. The trouble he had gotten into for playing with the 
 hose the week before. The lecture he had received about the importance of 
not 
 wasting water. The reason he didn't ask me to help him. It took almost 
twenty 
 minutes for the drops to fill his hands. When he stood up and began the trek 
 back, I was there in front of him. His little eyes just filled with tears.
 
 "I'm not wasting," was all he said.
 
 As he began his walk, I joined him...with a small pot of water from the 
 kitchen. I let him tend to the fawn. I stayed away. It was his job. I stood 
 on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known 
 working so hard to save another life. As the tears that rolled down my face 
 began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops...and more 
 drops...and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, himself, was 
 weeping with pride.
 Some will probably say that this was all just a huge coincidence. That 
 miracles don't really exist. That it was bound to rain sometime. And I can't 
 argue with that... I'm not going to try. All I can say is that the rain that 
 came that day saved our farm...just like the actions of one little boy saved 
 another.
 
 This is not one of those crazy chain letters...if you don't forward it to 
 anyone, nothing bad will happen to you. If you choose to forward it, you 
 won't receive any riches in the mail. I don't know if anyone will read 
 this...but I had to send it out. To honor the memory of my beautiful Billy, 
 who was taken from me much too soon.... But not before showing me the true 
 face of God, in a little sunburned body.
 
  >>
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