Wake up call

Last Tuesday morning my friend Maren was sitting in a rocking chair around 1:50 AM, trying to keep her eyes open while rocking her baby girl back to sleep. All the sudden, the room started to shake. She heard popping noises in the windows and a loud whooshing sound outside. It only lasted a few seconds. Maren had experienced a low magnitude earth quake that occurred only a few miles from our office.

After her call the next morning, I thought about the need to better prepare my family in the event of a disaster. I took down the pictures over my son's crib, talked to the older boys about "what to do, just in case" and glanced at the outdated 72 hour kits I have tucked away in the basement. Then I went on with my day, worrying about the chores to finish, appointments to make and money to earn.

A stronger reminder jolted me back into "preparedness" mode just one week later. On Tuesday, the people of Haiti fell victim to the most powerful earthquake to hit that area in 200 years. Devastation has overcome the country with millions of dollars of property damage and an ever increasing number of deaths. Life for those in Haiti has changed in an instant. I've been watching news reports, reading the newspaper, and checking the internet for updates. All reports giving me a wake up call, reminding me to count my blessings for the trials I have and to prepare the very best I can for the trials in the future.

So here is my plan today:
Dig out our 72 hour kits
Replace old food with new
Buy some more water bottles
Put together emergency kits for the office
AND
Remember how blessed I am to be a car salesman's wife in a down economy with children who make big messes and a husband that works long hours.

I pray that the families in Haiti will feel the support of others and that we will all take this disaster as a wake up call, putting the things that matter most in life as highest priority.