A year's supply of chocolate chips

Mark's cousin recently recommended (with 7 stars, where 5 are possible) a book for us to read and even brought us her copy. This memoir was about a lady who had committed suicide, and then been sent back to life, but not, she claimed, before seeing life on the other side as well as many past and future events. I try not to judge books by their covers, but is it ok to judge a book by its author? As in, the author’s photo on the back cover? Call me really prejudiced and mean and snotty, but I instantly formed a bit of a bias when I saw Peter Pan, I mean, Sarah Menet’s picture on the back of her highly celebrated (by at least one person) book.

After giggling about Menet's hair for a while, I opened the book and read the thing. Menet, the self-proclaimed expert on end-of-the-world affairs was very doomsday-ish, and that turned me off. But perhaps the one thing I could relate to in the book was her recommendation to have a supply of food stored in case of emergency [or, in her opinion, the end of peace and stability...due to happen tomorrow, if not sooner.]

I admit that as Mark commuted 2 hours a day over the past year, it has been unsettling to me to watch the economy’s depression—beginning with gas prices, and moving on into many other areas that hit much closer to home than rumors of destruction and despair in far off countries.

However, the idea of storing food is not news to members of my church, although it sometimes seems like a herculean task little suited to the transient life of students. Recognizing that I can no longer hide under the "starving student" banner with respect to food storage, I knuckled down and checked out an amazing website published by my church, ProvidentLiving.org. I was prepared to be bogged down with details about storing a year's supply of powdered milk (although right now, my year’s supply would come to about 3 cups, thanks to one great rolls recipe). In reality, the website was very different. It helped put preparedness in logical and even simple terms, and provided many resources and tips for managing finances and home storage (both general ideas and specifics). I was inspired and encouraged. I felt a little fire light up under me in the way that only comes when I hear truth and consciously choose to make the necessary changes to be obedient.

Since two local stores had major caselot sales this week, Mark and I made the decision to return a semi-expensive (for us) piece of furniture we recently bought and use the funds to invest in a storage of food, beginning the with the essentials (chocolate chips) and moving on down to the canned veggies and meats, flour and sugar. Now there is more food under my bed than you would believe!—a trick I learned from my mom. (She deprived us of hiding places for our dirty clothes and toys by keeping gigantic bags of powdered milk, flour, and wheat under each bed, because we were so limited on space.)

Incidentally, our kids have already benefited from our preparedness fest. Eliza absolutely loved our purchase of empty 5 gallon buckets for storing flour, sugar, and oats. (Which, according to my calculations, should make at least 6 months worth of oatmeal cookies.) Eliza adopted two of the large buckets and used them to tote around her four stuffed lambs for a week--until I stole them back while she was sleeping. Both girls (all kids, perhaps?) find it impossible to resist dunking their hands in a big bucket of flour, oats, sugar, wheat, beans, or anything else that might be contaminable by little toddler hands, arms, elbows, noses and tongues. And as for me, I can definitely rest easier at night knowing a year’s supply of cake mixes and chocolate chips are safely tucked in directly below me.

It feels good to get prepared, and for the right reasons. I refuse to be scared into action by doomsayers, but I am grateful for the timely reminder of what our church leaders have been encouraging us to do for years.

It may be a while before I can convert over to whole-wheat/powdered-milk/egg-substitute chocolate chip cookies. But I'm doing my best on this preparedness thing. Next task on my list is figuring out where to store a year's supply of diapers, wipes, and potty treats. And a year's supply of ice cream. And how to pick the year's supply of tomatoes that are dropping off our garden of 45 tomato plants as we speak.