“If you knew the gift of God… you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

Large clumps of fuschia colored flowers are planted in the round clay pots on our back deck. They are hardy, as well as butterfly attractors. Yesterday afternoon I was in the yard and noticed all the brown leaves on them. “It looks as if they’re dying”, I thought. “What in the world?!”

An instant replay ran in my mind, the kids making dirt pies and flower soup over in that area. And oh yes, helping Grandma water the plants! That means taking bucketsful of pool water and dumping them on the impatiens.

For a time, the plants flourished. Apparently, however, there is something in the water that doesn’t agree with them, perhaps the chlorine. And it got ‘em.

Living water; we all need it. If you’re drinking some other kind, it will eventually getcha. And the ‘something’ in living water is available for free. To anyone, anytime.

That’s good news.

Sally Ireland Kennedy is the author of Irish Thursdays: More Little Parables, Words from the Heart, and 52 Little Parables from Ireland. She is a songwriter and the creator of Poppy the Penguin® preschool music video series. Sally lives in south Florida, with her husband Ben.