June 24, 2006 - Day 4 - Week 12 - Water That Heals

Water is the most important substance on the earth and an essential part of health. Studies have demonstrated time and time again that water, pure clean water, defines quality of life for millions.  Statistically we learn that 2 billion of the world’s people do not have access to clean water.  We are also told that the Hunza of Northern Pakistan, live the longest of any group on the planet, in part because of the pure mountain water rich in natural minerals that is consumed in great quantities on a daily basis. Water is always given to me during chemo therapy, after any scan that I have had to flush my system, and recommended as an aid in my getting well.  I am constantly being reminded that I do not drink enough water.

Water is not a luxury but a necessity, yet we have abused this precious commodity.  Because of our disregard for something so abundant and free we are now forced to spend thousands of dollars on bottled water imported at great cost to the consumer and the environment.  Yet, we all know that when denied pure clean water we crave it, and will doing anything to obtain it.  Water is daily therapy for our body and our soul.

In this light two very different friends have shared with me their healing water.  One came in a gallon container, the other in a small plastic tube containing about one ounce of liquid.

The large quantity of Water of Life is a commercial product that is to be taken one ounce at a time.  It contains many minerals and my friend Jim, who appears fit as a fiddle, and then some, swears by it.  The literature accompanying Jim’s gift reads as follows:  “Water of Life begins as a fossilized kelp product called “Calzyme”, a unique and potent blend of natural mineral calcium salts extracted from the sea and concentrated. A blend of missing elements is added to create a finished product that promotes the body’s natural functions, helps promote healthy blood, and the strengthening of the cell walls.”

I plan to add one ounce per day to my green drink.  The green drink consists of the green powder, a blend of all things healthy that are green, an organic banana, some organic apple juice, one scoop of Jay Robb’s whey protein powder, and a few blueberries.

The second water is very different.  My new friend Susan took me aside, and quietly and respectfully handed me water that she had gotten from the waters of Lourdes, France. In 1858 a fourteen year old French peasant girl had a series of visions of the Virgin Mary. Legend has it that on the site water emerged and today there are a series of grotto’s and pools from which people emerge claiming to having been healed.  Whether fact or fiction, pilgrims from all over the world come to Lourdes for the healing curative water.

In my little vial I now possess some of that special water. Do I drink it, place some on my tongue, place it over my tumors, or simply appreciate its special significance as a gift of love and healing?   I may do all of the above, but for now I am simply cherishing the thought that went behind this gesture of friendship and concern. 

Once again water has entered into my life in two very different and special ways.  I have preached on the healing power of water, the water of baptism, the water contaminated by human kind’s arrogance and hubris, and the water of life that emerges from springs around the world.  Water is a sacred symbol and today at our home in Pacific Palisades California water from the sea and water from a sacred site grace our home with a special significance that I may never fully fathom.  All I can do is express my gratitude once again and smile.