Here it is, it's that subject again.
The one that, like family history, makes us feel uneasy, insecure, even a little afraid.
Preparedness.
Oh, sure there are a few preparedness nuts who do it right.
They even rotate their food storage for crying out loud.
And believe it or not, they actually eat the stuff.
These people don't have furniture, they have piles of number ten cans and heavy boxes filled with who knows what stacked in varied shapes and sizes draped with fabric, all over their house.
And what's more incredible is that they know what is in every stack.
They keep a record.
True family preparedness nuts don't know what a bed frame is.
They haven't seen one in years.
You can tell the depth of their preparedness fervor by the height of their beds.
Two layers of boxes equals approximately the height of a standard bed.
(Obedient).
Three layers makes a bed too high to sit on without dangling your legs.
(Really obedient).
But the real preparedness zealots have to make a staircase (out of food storage of course) in order to actually get up in the bed.
These are the people who believe that if you haven't lost at least one toe to the ceiling fan you aren't following the Prophet.
(Tragically, will probably be translated before they ever have a chance to use any of the stuff).
And then there's the rest of us.
We worry about it, and we promise that, like family history, we will start on it in earnest very soon.
We do have some food storage, but not enough, and it's old, and we don't rotate it because...
yechh, and we know we aren't prepared, and we just pray that the world will hold out long enough for our situation to change so that we have the time and/or the money, and/or the space or whatever it is that we lack in order to get prepared, but things are starting to look pretty scary, so we are reading this article in hopes of getting a few good pointers, and maybe even some motivation.
You can still do it, but the best advice I can give you is to do it now.
None of us can see the future, but in this case we probably don't need to.
The present is frightening enough.
The church has provided plenty of literature on preparedness, there are countless websites devoted to the subject, and there are family preparedness specialists in each ward and stake.
If you need help, it's available.
So let's deal with the excuses.
Not enough money: In very rare cases this may be a valid excuse, but, for the most part, it is simply a matter of priorities.
If you have a budget -- and you should - look at the categories and ask yourself if any of them are more important than survival.
How much do you spend a month on entertainment, new clothing, sports, perhaps a gym membership, eating out, home improvements, movie rentals, hobbies, cable TV? All of these categories are valid, but none is as important as family preparedness.
Which of the following has, or will, put your family's safety in the back seat? A new car? A bigger house? A flat screen TV? Granite counter tops? A vacation? I could go on ad infinitum, but I see no need for it.
We are all capable of prioritization.
We just don't do it! Not enough space: This can be an obstacle in some cases, but not, I believe, an insurmountable one.
Take a tour of your home or apartment.
Look for spaces that could accommodate a number ten can, or a box of some size.
Throw away your bed frame and make a base out of food storage.
Check out your closet floor, shelves, behind the couch, under tables.
A little here and a little there can really add up and you will be surprised at how much you can store.
Not enough time: Objection, your honor.
This excuse doesn't fly.
Make the time.
We're talking about survival.
Once again, it's a matter of prioritization.
If you dissect your schedule and evaluate the categories to which you devote your time, doubtless you will find that you can squeeze in something as important as family preparedness.
One of the toughest aspects of preparedness is choosing what foods to store.
We are told that we need to store and rotate the foods we are accustomed to eating.
The problem with this concept for many people, me included, is that we don't eat many packaged or canned foods.
Obviously under the best of emergency circumstances some concessions will have to be made, but if you eat mostly fresh foods, how are you to rotate your supply of canned and packaged foods? There are only three options that come readily to mind in this situation.
The first is to change your dietary habits and eat more packaged foods, however, anyone who truly understands human nutrition will recommend avoiding packaged foods as much as possible.
Fresh, unprocessed foods are what the body needs for optimum health.
It doesn't make much sense to compromise your health today in order to be prepared for some future emergency.
The second option is to discard foods that are outdated.
Mmm, I'm with you, it seems a shame to buy it only to throw it away.
The last option is to donate it to a charity such as a food bank -- before it is outdated of course.
This method accomplishes two things: You have your food storage and you are helping those who are less fortunate.
The point is, get it, store it, use it up or get rid of it, then replace it.
It's not really that hard to do, but it does require a desire to make it happen, some persistence and a bit of organization.
And, at the risk of sounding cliche, there will never be a better time than now.