This year I have been working on my "personal progress" in our young women's program at church. To complete the requirements, I needed to choose a 10 hour project that I could do in the next few weeks. Because of all the recent California fires I was reminded of the way I felt during Katrina about my need to prepare my family for any number of possible disasters. I visited a few websites which were helpful and determined that I would try to really prepare my family the way I should.
So I have spent considerable time and money on this endeavor recently and feel pretty good about what I have accomplished. I ordered a kit from a site quakecare.com that is basically a survival kit for four people - with food and water to live off of for three days. It came with tons of the basics and it is all contained in a big bucket like a home depot bucket. So it would be a worse-case-senario, grab and go type thing.
I also printed a list off the site safetycentral.com and am in the process of doing everything it tells me to do. I went to the dollar store this week and found a lot of the items I need and am gathering all the stuff in a big storage box. I also filled three 50 gallon drums of water today and bought a couple battery operated fans. Heaven knows we would need those here in AZ (and I can't forget how miserably hot those poor people in New Orleans looked!).
Anyway, today something cool happened. Tyler and I were cleaning out the garage and I was looking in some of our boxes for Thanksgiving decorations when I came across a box of stuff I had never seen before. It said Ali's name on it so I figured it was left when she or my mom moved, but when I opened it I couldn't believe my eyes. It was like a gift from my dad. It was the first time in nearly three years since he passed away that I felt the feeling of him physically helping me with something. The box was full of old camping and survival gear that my dad had used when we lived in Seattle! Everything had his name written on it... the matches were from an old store we used to shop at called Bartell Drugs... It was just neat! I found pocket knives, two water purifiers, ponchos, solar blankets, a lantern, flashlights, you name it. I was thrilled!
Tonight I am feeling grateful for this experience and have really learned something in doing this. Chances are that I will never need to use any of the items I have collected or use the plans that our family has set forth, BUT in being obedient to the wise leaders of our church and government and in doing my best to make my family self-sufficent I feel very blessed in many ways already.
3 comments:
You can thank me later! I left that stuff when I moved from there...you were in Seattle and obviously didn't know about the addition to your garage...wonder what else you'll find in time!
I too have really been working on our food storage and my goal is to have ALL my water and 72 hour kits put together before the baby comes!!! I have felt really strongly about getting this done too. It really will make me feel so much better having these little children knowing I am prepared!
anne, you are an amazing daughter.. you continually amaze me with your talent, your ambition, your sensitive nature, your practical side, and so fun and thoughtful.. i know you and dad shared a special bond, and still do, i know. You are more like him than you'll ever know.. he was also one of a kind, and i'm just glad i got to be so close to the both of you!
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