Being Prepared

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."
Benjamin Franklin

After many years of having a good economy and very little worries about jobs and money we find ourselves in a very different situation now. The economy is slowing and unemployment is rising every month. Uncertainty is part of our everyday life these days. But how do rise above worry and fear and move towards the comfort that we are prepared for the future, that we can take care of ourselves and our families.
We can buy what we need.
In most cases this is true, but what about when when we are faced with loss of employment, injury or natural disaster. These days many people have been losing their jobs and sometimes that is the only source of income for a family. We may not always be able to purchase what we want be we can survive quit well if we take the time to prepare.

Self-Reliance

With the world wide recession and the continuing economic problems here in the US I have been thinking a lot about self-reliance. After many years of living in a good economy I wonder how well we are prepared for living in tougher times. Have we become to dependent on fast credit and government handouts?

Elder Marion G. Romney in a conference talk given October 1982 said “Since the beginning of time man has been counseled to earn his own way, thereby becoming self-reliant. It is easy to understand the reason the Lord places so much emphasis on this principle when we come to understand that it is tied very closely to freedom itself. “

How can self-reliance or the lack of it affect of freedom? In the Readers Digest October 1950 edition there was a story about seagulls in St. Augustine, Florida. The fisherman for years had feed the seagulls scraps from their nets. When the fishing fleets moved the seagulls began to starve, not because there were no fish for them but because they no longer knew how to fish. After so many years and new generations of seagulls had feasted on the handouts from the fisherman they no longer had the ability to provide for themselves.

We can become dependent upon others just like the seagulls of St. Augustine if we do not learn to become self-reliant. But what is self-reliance? Do we have to move to the wilderness, grow our own food and shun society? There are many areas we need to develop to become truly self-reliant. Since this is something I am working on I thought I would write some about the things I am researching and studying and if nothing else it is a good way to track what I am finding.

All Together Again

The many months of spending time apart while I was working in another part of the state have come to an end!!! The boys started school this week at their new school, Bella Vista Elementary. They have had a good week and seem to have good teachers. The first day at school Jenn and I were laughing about the differences between the old school and the new one. In Mesa the play ground was locked up during the day and the bike rack was behind a gated area with a lock. Here there are no locked playground or bike racks and most of the gates are not even closed during the day. Things like this really stand out after having lived in the city for years, things are a little more laid back here.

We are still fighting the war of the boxes but we seem to be gaining on them. Emily was so excited today when Jenn told her that her room was all unpacked. Hopefully the rest of the house will not be far behind. We have not packed our house up in over 11 years so it is a little surprising how many boxes you end up with.

It is good to be back together again in one spot. We miss our old neighborhood and friends and it seems weird to be in another house but nothing beats having your family together. After all of these months of separation it makes you think a little about having your family together forever. If being apart for 5 months is this hard, an Eternity apart would be unthinkable.

Thanks to all those who helped us move, especially Jenn's parents, we would not have made it without them.

Tis the Season

How would you like to remember Christmas? The family of one New York man will remember it as the time they lost a family member. I can't imagine anything in a store that would be worth injuring or killing someone.

After reading about this story earlier in the day it made me wonder what the Christmas spirit is these days? Have we become so materialistic that we value an Xbox more than a person? I sure hope not.

I remember being young and barely being able to contain myself waiting to open presents and how important that seemed at the time. Looking back, I realize now that I was totally missing what Christmas was supposed to represent. Charity.

Not charity as in we don't have any food and need charity sense but charity in the sense of giving without any expectation of reciprocation. The Savior gave us the recipe in Moroni 7:45
" And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

I think being kind and not envying others is a great way to spend the Holidays, especially Christmas. With they way things are today with so many people out of work and worrying about the future we should take this time to decide how we want to remember Christmas and what we want it to represent. Things of this world or truly celebrating the Savior and what he taught.

Journals: Why do we keep them?

We have been told many times by leaders in the Church to keep a journal of our lives. We are to include spiritual experiences and daily events. But why?
I have started and stopped many times in my journal keeping attempts. When I go back and read it I realize how much I have not recorded in my life. The last time I reviewed my journal I was disappointed to realize I had not written anything after two of my children had been born. As important of an event as that it I had missed it and can never regain the chance to record my experiences of those days.

I have been reading a book lately that is about the Willie and Martin handcart companies called "The Price We Paid". It is a very good book and gives some great details about what people in those handcart companies endured. The author has done a great job collecting information but one thing is very clear, without the journals kept on that trip we would not have as much information about their trials. It is amazing to me that so many of the people on that journey who were struggling just to survive were so diligent in keeping a daily journal. It has really impressed me and I have been trying harder to write more often, even though this blog does not reflect that.

With all of the resources we enjoy today to keep a record of our lives for future generations it should be easy to find a medium you like. I have really enjoyed the family blogs that have been started. Jenn and Jeanne do a great job of recording events that are happening in their families. The AZ Bunkers have never met little Emrie but get to see her growing up digitally. Hopefully someday soon that will change but at least we have a way to keep up with her and the rest of the Idaho Miller clan.

As great as this seems know just think of how much of what is happening now our children will be able to look back upon and show their children in the future.

A Flock of Turkeys

Oh, the times you don't have a camera with you. Tonight would have been a great night to have one with me. I went for a ride after work and rode over to Ramsey Canyon.
I was just getting to the trees as I rode up the canyon and happened to look to the right along the edge of the trees. There at the edge of the trees about 20 yards away was a flock of wild turkeys. I just had to stop and watch them for about 5 minutes as they snuck into the trees. It was very cool because wild turkeys are not something you see a lot of when riding.

About 1.5 miles farther up the canyon there was a small spike buck standing 10 - 15 feet off the road. I stopped as he was doing his best statue imitation. He did the stiff legged nervous walk into the trees where another deer was feeding. I watched them for a few minutes as they feed and then rode on.

It was very cool to see some wildlife and enjoy a beautiful ride up the canyon. My only regret? The last 3 miles of my ride up the canyon I had not ridden before and it was the most beautiful part of the ride. It is definitely a ride I will be doing again.

Almost Time to Ride

It has been along time coming but it is almost here. Next Wednesday I will be on my way with 21 other riders to Oceanside, California. It seems like I have spent alot of time riding but then I worry if I am ready to go or not. I guess when you have not ridden 400 miles in 4 days before you have your doubts as the time grows near. When I look back at some of the rides I have done and how far my ability to ride long distances has come I really think I will make it without to much trouble.

I have spent a considerable time thinking lately, it is funny how you can do that when you are sitting alone in a studio apartment bidding your time until you get home. One of the things I have been thinking about is service to others. We seem to have government programs to help in so many areas and politicians who want to create more. In many cases they are truly needed programs that do great things.

When we have so many programs it becomes easy to think " the government will help them out so I don't have to worry". Does this attitude rob us of opportunities to serve others and the blessings that come with it?

I have always supported the Military and appreciated the sacrifices they make to serve this country. I have been amazed at how much more personal their sacrifice seems since I joined the Ride. The chance to serve those who serve us has become a special part of my life for the last few months, memories I will remember the rest of my life.

Now I am not trying to say everyone should get on a bike and ride to California but I do think that if we have an opportunity to serve others in our communities and maybe even people we don't know, that we should take it. If we pass up the chance to serve the people who need service, they will probably get it somewhere else, but where will we gain the blessings we would have gained by our service?

If we delegate our opportunities to serve to the government or other people we will be the ones who are poorer in the end.