Water is a topic of conversation in every circle here recently. “Did you get water in your basement? How much? “

“Did you see the ponds in that field south of town? The road on that corner was covered, so I head to go around the section, and those roads weren’t good, either.”

“How about the amount of water shooting out as the water was pumped out of that basement over there?”

All because of water, which we must have to sustain life. Too much, and there are few things that are more destructive; too little, and we become so parched that our crops and vegetation dry up.

In this 21st century, water is so easily accessible that most of us don’t give it much thought. We just know it will be there when we turn on a tap, adjust the flow from a shower head, use a hose outside to water flowers or the garden.

Think about all the ways, good and bad, that we use water throughout our lives. We need water to baptize, to clean that child countless times as they grow, to find comfort with a warm bath or a cold compress.

In spite of all the products now on the market to make our lives easier, we still need water to keep ourselves and our surroundings neat and clean. And yet if there’s too much of that water that comes uninvited into the places we clean with it, then there’s a big problem.

What about water for recreation? This is the season for that in Iowa, of course, the time to put your boat out on your favorite lake or stretch of river, to fish, maybe to strap on your water skis. What about spending an afternoon at the local swimming pool with your friends? Or taking swimming lessons so you have the skills needed when playing in the water just isn’t enough? And there are some lucky folks who enjoy a summer cottage that just wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t beside a lake full of water.

And yet those bodies of water that provide so much enjoyment have been the scene of countless tragedies as well.

Then there are water (squirt) guns, water parks, paints that need water to come alive to do lovely watercolor paintings–all good things.

Maybe our recent heavy rainfall and resulting floods are one of those situations that easily fall into the category of “too much of a good thing. . .” Just take note of a big field pond or a huge Dumpster full of soggy household goods, and that’s easy to understand.