“Hallelujah ! " “Gloria In Excelsius Deo !” “ We Have Running Water !”

“Hallelujah ! "

“Gloria In

Excelsius Deo !”

“ We Have Running Water !”

Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 11:45 a.m. – beautiful, cold, crystal clear water flows from the water faucet. Running water is a common, ordinary, everyday experience that I took for granted and didn’t truly appreciate – until I didn’t have it. Thanks to the Leyte Metropolitan Water District, my wife, Christy and I now have “running water”. Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr,

by Samuel E. Warren Jr.

November 22, 2011 – My brother-in-law, Ramon Q. Saldana Jr., goes to the Leyte Metropolitan Water District office in Tanauan and fills out the paperwork and pays the fees to have the water connected before my wife, Christy, and I move from the United States of America.

The familiar blue Leyte Metropolitan Water District truck is the vehicle that I longed to see stop on the road in front of the house. Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr,

Christy and I arrive, on or around, December 19, 2011. Our Barangay Baras is in the rural regions of the island of Leyte, in the Eastern Visayas of the Republic of the Philippines. Having grown up in Stone County, Missouri in the Ozarks, I knew what it meant to “live out in the country,” so I knew it would take time for the infrastructure to be in place to provide “running water.”

Day in and day out, I watched my family carry plastic jugs of water from a nearby community “filling station.” Drinking water and water for cooking had to be purchased in large plastic gallon jug bottles at local commercial water vendors.

Democracies require their paperwork and time to make sure the job gets done. The Republic of the Philippines Democracy is no different from the United States of America’s Democracy, in that it takes time to process the required paperwork and complete the job.

Naturally, being human, we, humans, like our governments to work fast. Alas, governments are composed of humans, who do their jobs as professional and as completely as possible. Naturally, I had hoped everyday from December 19, 2011 on – that the familiar blue Leyte Metropolitan Water District truck would arrive and crews would scurry to connect our “running water.”

An LMWD employee connects an elbow joint to a piece of pipe, while another man digs a hole to lay the pipe. Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 11:45 a.m. – my wish came true. I turned on the faucet and glorious “running water” fell from the faucet.

I burst out in, “Hallelujah ! Gloria In Excelsius Deo ! We have running water !”

People stop to watch, an LMWD employee dig the trench to lay the water line. Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.

Often times, Life takes the opportunity to find a way to remind us of things we take for granted, like running water. I believe, that such lessons are the Universe’s way of saying, “Sometimes you need to remember to appreciate the simple gifts of life.”

An LMWD employee digs deep into the island soil to lay a water line in Barangay Baras. Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.

I’m one of those people, who never tries to hide their exuberance. I am happy! I smiled and kind of danced around the front yard. The water workers looked at me like I had been out in the sun too long.

The two Leyte Metropolitan Water District employees that connected our water line gathers up their tools and head for the next water connection job. Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.

The two men smiled, when I said, “Gentleman, I sincerely ‘Thank You’ for my ‘running water.’”

“Rollin’ With The Flow” These Leyte Metropolitan Water District employees get in the truck in Barangay Baras and head for their next water connection job. Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.

I salute the Leyte Metropolitan Water District.

Thank you !

Sam

My Salute Photo The Story Behind The Photo

Once the Leyte Metropolitan Water District had connected our water, I was happy and decided to do an article. I’m a naturally curious person, so I shot the photographs as the men worked to connect the water line. I decided I need a “Thank You” photo for the article. My nephew, Gilbert Roa, happened to be at the house.

“Hey Gilbert, “ I smiled. I simply had Gilbert stand outside and salute. As always, I shot several photographs. This photo, which I used as a small graphic at the end of my water article, I cropped “in camera. I cropped this same photograph tighter to used it at the end of my Saint Michael On Duty In The Philippines article. Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.

Flickr Tags: Hallelujah ! Gloria In Excelsius Deo ! We Have Running Water !, by Samuel E. Warren Jr., November 22, 2011, Ramon Q. Saldana Jr., Leyte Metropolitan Water District, Tanauan, Christy Warren, United States of America, December 19, Barangay Baras, Leyte, Eastern Visayas, Republic of the Philippines, Stone County, Missouri, Ozarks, “live out in the country, ” “running water, ” drinking water, cooking water, democracy, governments, Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 11:45 a.m., water workers, salute