Something that came to mind while working on this edition is about the members of the ward who already have a year’s supply of food and goods. I realised that you must get very bored reading about what to do when you have already done it. So for you I have the following.
Having a years supply of food and other supplies is fantastic and I look forward to the day I can count myself and my family among you, but until then, how is your supply? Do you check it regularly for signs of infestation or expiry dates? Signs of spoilage and contamination through wear and damage to the cans etc.? Has your needs changed since setting up your supply? Dietary needs, changes to conditions in your home? Such as fuel supply, addition of a water tank etc. What about the counsel to have supplies on hand to make, remake or repair clothing? This is something we should all look towards.
Way back in the 80’s textile classes at school became a excuse to muck around then it seemed to peter out altogether, prior to that sewing was almost a prerequisite to graduating from school especially for girls, almost all girls could sew and do some form of embroidery a skill that lost its popularity when being a secretary became the dream job for women followed by the huge push for equality in all areas of the workforce that saw women putting down their sewing kits and taking on other roles. I am not saying it is a terrible thing, but it is a shame that people (so as not to be sexist) don’t seem to sew or embroider as much especially the younger generations. Many of my own peers don’t or can’t sew and so can’t and don’t teach their children which in turn means whole generations are growing up not knowing the simplest skills in clothing maintenance. Sigh… ohh is my old fashioned side showing again oops sorry, where was I?
If you can’t sew or are sewing challenged you may need to look at stocking up on clothes for all seasons and putting extras away for times of need. Same applies for shoes, socks, hosiery and every other item of apparel. Simple clothing repair is something we should all learn. Sewing on a button, repairing a small tear, fixing a zip might seem time consuming and too much to bother with but when every cent counts you may be thankful for taking the time to learn. Of course there is always those little alteration shops popping up in shopping centres to do the work for you if you really can’t needle threaded without causing substantial loss of blood or crossed eyed headaches.
Make 2008 the year of welfare growth for you and your family. Learn a skill such as sewing, not ball gowns and suits but simple sewing and repairing techniques, car maintenance, basic plumbing, beginners woodwork anything, learn something that will help you in times of need. No skill is ever wasted but chances can be.
Until next week remember it is good to be a goal setting, skill learning, self relyin’, everything preparin’, opportunity grabbin’ gospel loving Latter Day Saint.
Yours in preparedness
Georgia
This week I am asking for answers to a common problem … possums and other animals eating your fruit blossoms and then if they left any blossoms… the fruit. There are scores of sure-fire ideas and gimmicks but how many really work? Not many apparently. So who has successfully thwarted the marauding attempts of birds, possums, snails and other pests? What did / do you use or do? How successful was it? We who are under siege would like to know. Email me at petal@exemail.com.au
Or phone me on 95900021 or you can pass me a hastily scrawled note anytime.
Quite a few times last year I talked about flooding as one emergency we may face (and for some of us recently… did face) so I am not going to talk about it again for a while. Today I would like to talk about fire dangers in and around the house. The most common house fire is found in the kitchen from forgotten pots on the stove, the next common causes are faulty electrical wiring, smoking, overloaded power boards and children playing with matches or lighters. At least one of these we can dismiss as not being applicable to our lives, but the rest are valid concerns that we should address.
A fire needs three things to make it burn. Heat, fuel and oxygen. Take away any one of these elements and the fire will go out or not start at all. Some fires actually smoulder for hours before the first flames are seen. So what can we do to ensure our houses are as safe as we can possibly make them from fire?
We can:
- Take the time to check all appliances for faulty or worn wiring and mechanisms and replace them or if applicable get them repaired by an authorised repair shop.
- Ensure no wiring is visible or broken and exposed.
- Ensure heaters are not left on and unattended for any length of time.
- Ensure clothes hung up to dry are not too close to heaters and are removed as soon as they are dry (overheated clothes can catch fire)
- Turn off the stove or remove pots from the element/flame before answering the phone or walking away for any reason, even if you think you will only be a moment.
- Ensure pot handles are facing away from the edge of the stovetop so they cannot accidentally be knocked over.
- Never leave candles lit and unattended.
- Keep candles away from curtains or other flammable objects.
- Clean the lint filter in the dryer regularly.
- Allow the dryer to go through the cool down cycle.
- Don’t leave matches out where little hands can get them and play with them.
- Don’t overload power boards or power points.
- Don’t leave electric blankets on and don’t sleep with them on.
- Don’t run extension leads under the carpet or under lounge furniture.
- Ensure you have working smoke detectors at all times and check them regularly.
- Check the labels on cleaners and other bottles, some chemicals should not be kept together.
- Ensure all old cleaning rags are thrown out, they can be an ignition source for fires.
- Dispose of chemicals and other cleaning agents properly.
- Always read warning labels and be familiar with the safety procedures recommended on the labels.
Help your family to become fire safe and smart. Hold a FHE based on safety in the house and make a plan of the house and mark two different ways of getting out of each room.
Hold drills on exiting the house via these different exits. If you have upstairs rooms ensure you have a ladder stored in the upstairs area and know how to safely use it to exit the upstairs rooms.
- Teach older children how to dial 000.
- Set a place for everyone to meet after an evacuation.
- Ensure everyone knows that once you are out of the house you never go back in but wait at the evacuation point for the fire brigade.
Other points to teach members of the family about how to get out of the building safely are:
- getting down low where the air is likely to be cleaner and exiting the house on your hands and knees.
- Knowing how to tell if there is a fire on the other side of the door by feeling the door for heat and looking for smoke coming through the gaps in the doorframe.
- How to stop drop and roll if your clothes are on fire.
- Not to waste time getting dressed but exit the house immediately.
- Know how to use a fire extinguisher safely and correctly and which type to use.
These are just some of the basics in fire safety. Check out the CFA websites or take a FHE visit to the local fire station. It is important to practise your fire drills regularly and without notice to see how children will react and to help them to remember how to exit safely.
I have a copy of Donald Ducks fire safety video. It is seriously old but great to use to teach children about fire safety, I am happy to lend it out (providing it comes back to me) if it will be of use to help families learn fire safety.
Outside the home in the yard we can do many things to help prevent fires from starting or spreading.
Clearing out gutters regularly is one obvious one but what else can we do?
We can:
- Clear away fallen branches and debris from around the house and yard.
- Ensure powerlines are clear from overhanging trees and branches.
- Mulch in dead leaves.
- Know where the garden hoses are and how far they reach around the yard should a fire in the yard occur.
- Ensure the lawn mower is allowed to cool down and has been cleared of all loose grass before putting it away.
- Check the internal temperature of compost heaps (the internal temperature can rise with natural fermentation and breakdown releasing gasses which can smoulder until the spontaneously combust. If needed spread the compost out to cool down or turn it frequently to prevent it getting to hot inside.
- Keep fences clear of overhanging trees and built up grasses.
- If chemicals are kept in the shed ensure you have read the label for safety advice such as optimum storage temp and the effects of excessive heat.
There is a lot we can do to keep our homes and ourselves safe, take the time now to learn and to teach fire safety, possessions can be replaced, they are just things. But family, children and loved ones, they can’t be replaced.
Until next week remember it is good to be fire smart, safety planning, evacuation practising, wiring checking, know what to do in an emergency Latter Day Saint.
Yours in preparedness
I read an article a week or so back entitled “preparing for the worst” of course the title caught my eye as it was on an LDS site so my mind immediately thought it related to welfare.
Well it was and it wasn’t. It was about preparing for the worst…the death of a loved one.
This is a topic that people don’t talk about. Whether it be because it is distasteful to them or whether it is because of the depths of emotions it brings up, making it something they would rather not talk about.
So I apologise if this topic is distasteful or too emotional for you but it is a topic that needs to be talked about because it isn’t just the elderly who pass away. Accidents, disease and misadventure can happen to anyone at any time, young, old or anywhere in between, and we need to be prepared. Maybe not to the extent of having your entire funeral planned and payed for, but at least having discussed your thoughts and wishes with family and or close friends so that should the worst happen those who are left behind are not left with choices and questions they can’t answer.
Dealing with a death is hard enough, even if it was expected, it is still a shock, instead of being able to stop and process everything you get thrown into a seemingly endless round of tasks and preparations.
Even if your loved one has a prepaid and planned funeral there are still plenty that needs to be done and decided on.
So how can we get prepared now? Think. What would you like for your funeral? What would you like to wear? What sort of music? What sort of service? Would you like anyone in particular to speak? What would you like them to say? Do you have a favourite scripture? Think about what you would like then write it down. Now rather than shoving it into the bottom of your sock drawer, make another list: birth certificate, tax forms, bank accounts, superannuation policy, life insurance, car insurance and rego etc. If you have a current will put it with them, if not get one A.S.A.P. Then either make copies of all of these or gather them all together in the one place, put your funeral list with them. Next you need to sit down with a family member or someone you are close too and tell them what you would like for your funeral and where all your papers are kept.
If you are part of a couple sit down together and talk about it realistically. When Grant and I got married we both knew each others medical history and so knew it was important to talk about what our thoughts and feelings were. For me, I don’t deal well with excessive emotion and others expressing their sentiments to me, so I know I will need someone to basically run interference so that I am not overwhelmed with appreciated but too much for me to cope with expressions of sympathy. So I have a list of people in whom I know I can trust to fulfil that role for me and they have agreed that should they be needed they will be there.
The sequence of events and decisions that need to be made as soon as a loved one dies is:
- If they died at home a Doctor needs to be called, they in turn will notify the Police if necessary, or depending on the circumstances call the Police yourself.
- If they died in a hospital the Hospital will organise the death certificate.
- Notify family members.
- Call the funeral service, if you had one already picked or choose one if you hadn’t. They will come out 24 hours a day to collect the body and help you to begin the preparations. For sake of one less decision in discussing your wishes think about and check out a few funeral homes to find one you like.
- Call your Bishop.
- Arrange a time to go to the funeral home to discuss your wishes and needs. They are used to dealing with upset people and will be very supportive and helpful.
- Notify family, friends and work colleagues of when the funeral will be and any requests such as no flowers, donations etc.
- It is important to look after yourself by eating properly and regularly, getting good quality sleep, having those you need near by for support.
- If you have children there are support services available to help them come to terms with the loss as well.
- If there is to be a gathering after the funeral decide when and where and what needs to be organised such as food.
- Many funeral homes will have a checklist available for all the other services that need to be notified such as drivers licence, bank accounts etc.
- Attend the funeral.
- Allow yourself time to grieve.
It is a statistical fact that most people who suffer a bereavement have a lot of support for the first few weeks after the death and then by six weeks post funeral people stop coming by to visit and check up on you. After this time it is easy to fall into depression or feel/ become isolated. Many elderly who lose their partner often die within a year from loneliness related issues.
It is important to keep in touch with friends and family and to remain involved in hobbies and other activities.
As distasteful as it may seem, go visit a funeral home and ask them all the tough questions now rather then when the worst has happened. Get your paperwork in order and make copies. Make your wishes known now because it is too late after the fact.
I have said this a few times over the past year and a bit:
Being prepared for the worst is not inviting the worst to happen.
I think the worst thing would be not being prepared. The stress and shock of being confronted with all the choices and decisions can be reduced by making decisions NOW.
For example I always thought a coffin and a casket where the same thing but they are not, a coffin is the traditional box tapered at the head and feet and wider at the shoulders whereas a casket is a rectangular box. Being somewhat Closter phobic the idea of a coffin has me hyperventilating. Even though I won’t be aware of it then I am aware of it now so it’s casket for me thank you very much. And on the personal note, coffins are wider at the shoulder I need one wider at the hip!
Seriously loosing the one you love is hard enough. Leaving the one you love is hard too so do both of you a favour and plan ahead. There are questions I haven’t even raised here such as who will be guardians of your children? There are many many plans to be made, things to think through and sort out, better to do it yourself then leave it to the government.
May we all live to ripe old age and have plenty of time to plan ahead.
Until next week remember it is good to be a well thought out, planned ahead and organised Latter Day Saint.
Yours in preparedness
A few weeks back I asked for thoughts and suggestions on dealing with the warfare that is growing your own fruit and veg. The battle to enjoy the fruits of your labour rather than sigh in frustration as you wake to find your crop decimated by pests large and small.
There are many different theories of how to keep your veg patch and fruit trees pest free. They range from silver foil tied to the branches to deter possums and birds, fake cats with marbles for eyes to reflect the light, nets and scarecrows to snail bait, sand, crushed egg shells and beer to deter snails and other creepy crawlies.
After an exhaustive search around the neighbourhood (well screeching to a halt in the car) to see what everyone else was doing I found that for the most part they employed some or all of these techniques. A few places had a serious net set up over their trees right down to the ground so that there was no way for the birds and possums to get onto the tree, the outside fruit may still get eaten but the ones underneath or further in the tree were safe from the marauding hordes.
Other techniques I have heard is of leaving half eaten fruit on the tree for the animals to eat so they are more inclined to leave the whole fruit alone. Seems no matter which you try short of bringing out the big guns such as pesticides and baits some of our crops are going to be eaten and not by us.
One thing that comes to my mind is the scriptures. Yep the scriptures, we are instructed to look to them for guidance. So let’s see what it says.
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Matthew 6:26
To me this is saying to all gardeners everywhere…share and be happy you’re feeding our Father in Heavens birds and beasts. So a little for them and a little for us attitude might mean plant a few extra veg and perhaps net off the fruit trees but make a pile of fallen fruit somewhere in the yard for the animals to enjoy. I guess in one way we can look at it as a service project of giving to the needy among us… the possums and birds. Good luck.
Now onto another topic. Welfare. In seeking inspiration for this week’s WW, I found myself reading the talk given by Marion G Romney during the April General Conference of 1979. I then looked up all the talks given that day on welfare. So I have plenty to talk about for the next few weeks. But the one I want to talk about today is a result of several things, an incident that happened during the week, a book I was reading and this conference talk.
President Romney said the following:
“The first principle of action in Church Welfare is, therefore, for us to take care of ourselves as far as possible.
The second is to be so bound together as families that we shall sustain each other. Fathers and mothers are under a divine command to care for their children, and children have the responsibility to care for their parents.
When Church members cannot provide for themselves and are not cared for by their families, they are to be cared for pursuant to the third principle of Church Welfare, which is, by divine command, that the membership of the Church shall take care of them. The Lord has made these principles binding upon the Saints in every gospel dispensation.”
The book I was reading ‘Savannah comes undone’ by Denise Hildreth is basically about this young woman who is about to learn that the world does not revolve around her when her Mother chains herself to a marble statue of the ten commandments. There is some seriously soul searching moments in the book for both the young woman and the reader.
The incident that happened this week was that I had arranged to get together with one of my fellow sisters. On my way home between an appointment and this meeting my car, old as she is, began to make some seriously weird front end noises, different from her usually age related one. Concerned that my car may die before we could afford to replace her, I opted to not go to the see this sister and wait until Grant could get home and see if the problem could be determined. I rang the sister to cancel our get together and I heard the understanding in her voice as well as the sadness in my cancelling our appointment. I have trouble hearing properly on the phone so did not stay on to chat.
Later as I went about my usual daily activities I was struck with a moment of clarity that brought me to my knees in shame and great sorrow. Like Savannah, I had come undone. I had forgotten my covenant with the Lord, not just to care for my sisters as a Visiting Teacher, not just to love one another, but the covenant that we all make and is recorded, among other places, in 2nd Nephi 25:23. That we are saved, after all we can do.
We are saved by grace after all we can do. We covenanted with the Lord to love one another, we covenanted with the Lord to be our brothers’ keeper, and I failed. I did not do all I could do. I could have invited her to my house. I could have arranged another time, I could have done my best to talk on the phone, I could have done a myriad of things. But I did not.
Emotional and social strength is not just a nice title for the part of the Churches welfare program that deals with our interactions with each other, Welfare as a whole is not some neat package of programs and fundamental principals to be looked at, discussed in the warmth of the chapel and then left to its own devises. No, it is more than that; it is more than food storage and service projects and being prepared.
President Kimball said in his talk during the 1979 April conference.
“Welfare is nothing more or less then ‘the gospel in action”
Combine that with the above section from President Romney’s talk and I failed my sister in every way.
President Romney outlined the principles of action, and I will condense them here.
- Take care of ourselves as far as possible
- Be bound together as families and sustain each other
- Parents are to care for their children
- Children are to care for their parents
- When Church members cannot do for themselves the membership of the church shall care for them.
President Romney then went on to say:
The Lord has made these principles binding upon the Saints in every gospel dispensation.
Now socially and emotionally we are obligated through these binding, binding, as in to hold firm, encompassing, obligatory, required, compulsory, necessary and of course voluntary, principals to do all that we can. I think it was President Kimball who said the basic principals are work, self reliance, love, service, consecration and stewardship.
Love and service.
When Church members cannot do for themselves the membership of the church shall care for them. Consecration and stewardship.
This is glaringly obvious what we need to do. We need to stop running around saying to ourselves ‘oh I am so busy’ ‘ I don’t have time for that’. Or content ourselves with our fast offerings as doing our little bit. We need to be actively doing. Not platitudes and I mean platitudes as in tired expressions, of how much we care once a month as we sally out the door after our Visiting Teacher or Home Teacher visit is concluding.
We need to be there for each other, sustain and lift each other up daily. Each time I try and listen to the song ‘go bring them in’ I cry my eyes out. These saints who endured so much, who buried their loved ones on the way to Zion, who endured crippling injuries and afflictions and went to sleep at night wondering if they would wake to another day of struggle or in paradise at the feet of their master, never gave up on each other. They lifted each other up. Young men carried others through freezing water to the detriment of their own health and life, members who had only just begun to find their own feet headed a prophets voice to ‘go bring them in’. How can we who have so much not do the same? Loneliness is a killer. We need to feed each other spiritually as well as temporally. Not just ‘here have something to eat’ ‘come for dinner’, but talk to each other, listen to each other, share each others burdens, strengthen and uplift each other, love one another.
When I first arrived in the ward I was terrified, I felt like such a heathen hillbilly among the most elect of the Lord’s servants. I felt I would never fit in and would never have a friend among you. There were some I thought I should never have anything in common with, some I even clashed with. But I learnt one thing. “God is no respecter of persons:
But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” Acts 10:34 - 35
We are all His sheep, all of us, the bare foot hillbilly with a weakness for colourful language, the strong obedient members and the ones who have the outward appearance of being calm and in control but underneath are struggling with their own weaknesses. We need each other; we have something of worth to share with each other. Ourselves. Our love of the Lord and His gospel. We can make each other strong, we can lift each others burdens and we can head our prophets voice and go bring them in. Bring them in to our hearts our lives and ease their afflictions with our love and compassion.
Someone once told me that without family history work being done we would stand before the Lord and He would say to us, that is well and good but where is your family? I wonder now if He would not also say you’ve done well but what of my sheep that you did not feed, you did not leave the ninety and nine to seek after the lost one. How would we feel? Who do we feel? What can we do today, this week, this year to help one another, love one another?
Never let a moment go, like I did, you can’t bring it back, you can’t make tears and sadness un-well in the eyes and heart of someone.
Until next week remember it is good to be a caring, sharing, burden lifting, sorrow easing, heartfelt serving, one another loving Latter Day Saint.
Yours in preparedness
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