I encounter this willow tree regularly to and from Rotterdam Central Station.
Reflecting on the story of the Samaritan woman who meets Jesus while making her daily visit to the well (John 4:1-30, 39-42), Jan Richardson writes,
The encounter between Jesus and the unnamed woman offers something of an icon of the Lenten season and the invitation it extends to us. If we give ourselves to a daily practice, if we keep taking our vessel to the source even when we feel uninspired or the well seems empty or the journey is boring, if we walk with an openness to what might be waiting for us in the repetition and rhythm of our routines, we may suddenly find ourselves swimming in the grace and love of God that goes deeper than we ever imagined. …
Are your habits and practices drawing you closer to the sustenance you need or pulling you farther away from it? What are you thirsty for?
from www.paintedprayerbook.com
Opening prayer
O God, we gather at your waters,
as a hot and bothered crowd gathers on the beach
on a sweltering, summer day.
O God, we drink at your fountain,
as a parched dog laps at the fresh,
running water of a bush creek.
O God, we await your refreshment,
as a tired worker watches for the change of shift.
Quench our thirst, satisfy our longings.
May we be refreshed and restored in you;
and teach us where to find the bucket and how to carry it
so that we might draw that water for those who most need it.
~ written by Anita Monro and posted on re:Worship
From the blog
The wells of salvation
Settle yourself into the quiet
In the school of prayer with Angela Ashwin