Reminded of how fortunate we are...

And to think we just turn on the faucet...
Here are the facts about the water crisis from water.org. Every day, thousands of people die from lack of access to clean water. The safe water issue is intimately linked to hygiene education and proper sanitation, which is why we take an integrated approach to bringing safe water to the world’s poor.

Water
3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease.

43% of water-related deaths are due to diarrhea.

84% of water-related deaths are in children ages 0 – 14.

98% of water-related deaths occur in the developing world.

884 million people, lack access to safe water supplies, approximately one in eight people.

The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns.

At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from a water-related disease.

Less than 1% of the world’s fresh water (or about 0.007% of all water on earth) is readily accessible for direct human use.

An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the typical person living in a developing country slum uses in a whole day.

About a third of people without access to an improved water source live on less than $1 a day. More than two thirds of people without an improved water source live on less than $2 a day.

Poor people living in the slums often pay 5-10 times more per liter of water than wealthy people living in the same city.

Without food a person can live for weeks, but without water you can expect to live only a few days.

The daily requirement for sanitation, bathing, and cooking needs, as well as for assuring survival, is about 13.2 gallons per person.

Over 50 percent of all water projects fail and less than five percent of projects are visited, and far less than one percent have any longer-term monitoring.

Dear Sweet Owen:
My how the time has flown by and I am constantly in awe of your courage in new situations. The week before your fifth birthday you begged to attend Camp Manitoulin with your brothers and it was tough to deny you a week of fun. You were eager to catch the bus early in the morning and seemed to show very little fear when it came to the bus and venturing to a new place all day without parents in site. Now of course I have the luxury of knowing that your brothers take excellent care of you, but it is tough to see you so stoic and so eager to leave my side. The moment you jump onto the bus, backpack all zipped up tight, is bitter sweet. As Mothers we hope to raise children who will slowly sprout wings and become capable of entering new situations with excitement. So far so good as far as you are concerned. I certainly miss all three of you today, but I sit and smile as I think of your days filled with new experiences and new friends. You Owen, are so precious to watch. You are wise beyond your years. You are filled with curious energy and wild humor.I can't wait to hear all about today's adventures from your almost five perspective. These are the days which you will look back on so fondly. Me too!

So here I sit at my office, the coffee spot nearby, with so many thoughts swirling in my head. I am amazed how full my life is! I could fill absolutely every minute with gratitude for all that I have been given. I have an amazing husband who is the steadiest and most trustworthy person I know. I have three beautiful and very different little boys who rule my heart. Recently at family camp over the weekend i was so filled with awe as I watched them listen, learn and grow. God has given them such amazing smiles, such curious minds, healthy and strong bodies and kind hearts. They continue to ground me when I am feeling a bit lost in this great bog world of opportunity. I never knew I could want so much for another human being. I just wish them challenged, spirited and interesting lives. Happy- nah! Happiness is often a choice and not everything we do is supposed to make us happy. Instead we are stretched and changed by that that sometimes causes our days of less than happy thoughts. I thank God for the rich signs I continue to see as I seek to know Him more. Pray without ceasing. Wow what an impact living in prayer is having on my life. Each day I feel a bit closer to knowing that I need to help others. I need to seek justice, help those who have not, guide and serve the lost and the lonely and work towards a greater good in the world. I do not exactly know what that roadmap looks like quite yet but I am sure I am on my way... Right now my day to day is taking the best care of my family that I possibly can.