Almost every morning I take a walk in our neighborhood—lately I have been taking the same route, down Baston to Sweetser, turning right next to the farm fields and then turning left into land that is owned by the Yarmouth Water District. A couple days ago, as I was walking down the dirt road that led to two small square buildings made of brick, I realized—these are well houses. I am walking to the wells. There are two wells in that spot—one from 1947, and one from 2000—and they mostly serve the water needs of nearby Yarmouth. I have been walking there for years now, but before this I wasn't thinking about wells. It has given me a sort of magical delight, even though I don't go there to draw water. It harkens to such an ancient human activity—especially for women, to go to the well to get water.
There has been a lot in the news lately about the water quality of wells in Maine. We haven't got around to testing our own well, but I wonder--since it is probably drawing from the same sources as these municipal wells—whether that might bode well or not. One of the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers, Mona Polacca, spoke at A2U2 this summer. She advised--”Know your water.” How often do we think about the water flowing beneath the ground? No wonder that the ancients thought of wells as sacred places, where what is hidden is revealed, and gives us sustenance and life.
This past summer, Margy and I went to Star Island, a UU Conference Center, 10 miles off the coast of New Hampshire. It was our first visit to the island, and what a beautiful place it was! We were surrounded by water, and the conference was about Water and the International Issues related to water in our time. At some point during the year, I hope to be able to share more of what I learned there. What comes to me now is that same message—know your water. I discovered that you can find out about water quality in your own municipal location by going to the Environmental Working Group, Drinking Water Quality Report at http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/home. There, you can see what contaminants have been found in the water. Of course, if you have a private well, you have to have it tested on your own.
The water at our church, Portland city water, comes from Lake Sebago. The Portland Water District provide public water services to nearly 200,000 people in the cities of Portland, South Portland, and Westbrook, and the towns of Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland, Falmouth, Gorham, Raymond, Scarborough, Windham, and Standish. It is governed by an elected Board of Trustees. Do you know your water representatives? It is a lot to ponder—next time you turn on the tap. Gratitude, safety, understanding, history, refreshment.
Love and blessings, Rev. Myke
