I had the opportunity to live in the south for 10 wonderful years. I love the southern people, and the life style. Six of those 10 years were in Florida. After we had lived there a year, we experienced 4 hurricanes in one season. Each storm brought a trip to Wal-Mart and the purchase of some supplies that we might need during the storm. We spent that season watching the weather channel to see where each storm would come on land. By the last storm we were quite exhausted with storm fatigue. Somehow, we were very fortunate and the storms always went around us. Nevertheless we still had to prepare, as we never knew what the storm would do until it hit land.
Now, jump ahead 5 years, to my last hurricane. It was during a time of great busyness in my life. My husband was out of state for training, and I was swamped running our home businesses. I didn’t have time to watch the news, or even talk with our neighbors. One day I needed to run up to our Wal-Mart, which was about 6 miles away. When I entered the store, I noticed that the shelves were empty! Without thinking, I wondered aloud, what was going on? A fellow shopper said that there was another hurricane out in the gulf, and it was headed our direction. As I stood there in Wal-Mart I tried to think of what I might need to purchase for that storm. It was an amazing realization that I did not need a thing. I had everything that I would need to ride out that storm. With that realization, a profound sense of peace came over me.
The next day I spent a good part of the morning getting the outside of my house ready for the storm that was coming that evening. I pulled in my planters and outdoor furniture. I even managed to get both cars into the garage! As I was working, getting our house ready for that hurricane, I noticed how lovely the day was. It was the sort of day that would entice anyone to drop what they were doing and run to the beach. It was just so beautiful. I realized that this was the time to prepare for the storm. Not when it was slamming in on us, but when it was so lovely that the last thing you would want to do was to prepare for it.
Isn’t that what our life is like? Learning to enjoy the beauty of the world, while preparing for the storms that are coming. This was a tremendous learning experience for me. I am truly grateful for that experience especially that wonderful sense of peace in Wal-Mart. When we are prepared, we do not need to fear.
A.D.
How to VOTE for the best Preppers Outreach Contest Entries:
If you think this entry merits one of your 5 allotted votes, then post a comment below. Do NOT post a comment if you do not want it to count towards one of your 5 allotted votes. If you want to award an entry more than one vote, you’ll need to leave a comment for each vote you want to cast.
© 2019 Of COURSE this post is Copyright Protected by Preparedness Pro. All Rights Reserved. NO portion of this article may be reposted, printed, copied, disbursed, etc. without first receiving written permission by the author. This content may be printed for personal use only. (Then again, laws are only as good as the people who keep them.) Preparedness Pro will pursue all violations of these rights just as vigorously as she does any of her other freedoms, liberties, and protections.
Comments
What a great analogy! Powerfully taught, and so true! Thank You!
Well said! I worked Disaster Recovery during those Florida storms of 2004. I remember realizing I now knew what it was like to enter a war zone (confirmed by those who had been in war zones). Many people don't realize that many were without power for three months during the summer.
Vote
Vote.