Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?

          A few days ago the power went out for a moment.  It left me alone in the dark in the middle of the afternoon during a storm.  Here I am standing in the kitchen in the midst of these dark clouds wondering what to do.  Am I prepared for a power outage?  (insert the word "no" here)  Do I have the necessary items in place to get me through more than just a few minutes without electricity? (insert the word "no" again)  How will I cook?  How will I get water?  But most important... how will I SEE?

          When we are without electricity, what we miss the most is light.  I always have a flashlight in my purse.  But at that moment of darkness I had no idea where to locate my purse.  I have some candles, but where are they? and where are the matches?  I have had oil lamps on my list of things to get for quite a while, years actually.  On my list, also, is a solar oven.  Why do I not yet have these items?  I am sure I have spent the equivalent costs in some unproductive manner.  Where is my water storage?  No electricity equals no water from the well.  

          Putting a new home in order does take some time and some planning.  Little by little we are getting there.  Does emergency preparedness need to be higher on our list of priorities?  Let us not get sidetracked with presentation and forget about preparation. 

          We all know we are to be prepared.  And we are to be prepared now.  What are we waiting for?