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Friday, March 20, 2020

Hope Springs Eternal

In this time of increasing uncertainty, stress and anxiety which brings with it a gambit of emotions, never lose sight of the fact that there is always hope. Spring is upon us. Despite storms in the weather with tornadoes that cause destruction and loss of life, storms in the biological attack upon the planet (whether coincidental or man made), impacts upon the world's ability to plant and grow enough food (whether from climactic events or lack of labor due to illness and quarantine), life does go on.
Mud and more mud
A month or two from now, life may not have continued for all of us. That is a large portion of the uncertainty. A month or two from now, the world may be under lock, key and the big boot of government with the freedoms we had a fading memory. Whatever life looks like a few short days, weeks and months down the road, one thing holds true. Hope springs eternal.

Balsam










If those of us that read and write here out in cyber world didn't have hope that our preparations, training and skills would make a difference in our ability to survive and provide for ourselves and our families, we wouldn't even try. Why would we? What difference would it make? Why not just join the eat, drink and be merry crowd, for tomorrow we die?
Why? Because that is not the cloth we were woven from. We have hope and determination in the face of impending doom. Is is easy? No. Are the times upon us scary and uncertain? Absolutely, resoundingly yes.

Clematis
Iris







HOPE springs eternal. And with that, spring with it's new life and promise of a future (of some unknown sort) is upon us. Take the time to breathe in that hope (but not the virus! You do remember that humor is the essence of survival don't you?). Look around. Notice what is happening to the earth and join in that renewal with a determination that you will continue to do all you can to insure that the hope of life is instilled deeply into those you love and care for.
Bridal wreath
Will it guarantee that you and they will make it through this time? No. If you or they don't make it, will you give up hope? It's a tough question. One we all face. Don't turn away from mentally planning for that possibility, as hard as it may be. Frank and I have long said that mental preparation is the most important. If you are not trying to be mentally prepared for whatever may come your way, including death, then you have neglected one of the most important aspects of your preparations.

Basil
Beet seed just beginning to sprout.









Hope is the basic foundation of any preparedness plan. If you didn't have hope that what you are able to learn, practice, acquire or produce wouldn't make a difference in whatever scenario plays out in your life, you wouldn't have bothered to even try.

Nasturtium

Hope springs eternal. Breathe in the new life of spring. Share it with those around you. Use it to bolster your mental preparations, for the storms of life are truly upon us. May the Lord bless and keep you.

Until next time -  Fern

7 comments:

  1. What a great post, Fern. I woke up this morning with such a sense of joy and, yes, hope. Very thankful for all of life's blessings. Thankful that we learned to simplify our lifestyle and take a common sense approach to life, i.e. not depending on the system but learning greater self-reliance.

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  2. Those of us who have been learning new skills, practicing those skills, and putting things aside for difficult times knew this was on the horizon. We simply were unsure of the specific threat to our comfort and well-being. China-virus has been revealed to us as the eminent threat and opened many eyes. Hope-fully, the sleepy among us have been awakened and will begin to act where action is still possible. You are right,Fern,spring is on the way. We had a mini-blizzard yesterday, but the Robins have returned. CW

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    1. Been thinking about you CWfromIowa. As TP was disappearing from stores around the country & world I smiled when I thought of your preparedness. ;-)

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    2. Thank you for your kind comment. We are doing very well at this point and taking no chances. We are grateful for picking up on "the message" some years back, and for being able to take action. I hope this finds you safe and healthy, CW

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  3. Thank you Fern. Very touching.

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  4. Preparing is a hopeful activity. We prepare for many things - weddings, holidays, vacations, guests and for Jesus return. NOT preparing is hopelessness.Planting a garden is to prepare for a harvest. Building a house is preparation for living in that house. Having cold weather clothes is preparing to live through winter until spring. If you purchase car or house insurance, it is to prepare for replacement and repair. Prudence is a word much maligned, Be prepared as much as possible, then you know you have done what you can, and that thing's are ultimately in God's hands. I have heard people say "I'm just leaving it up to God." Well, these same folks don't wait for God to literally spoon feed them, or any other activity, now, do they? I think God expects us to participate. Just my two cents.

    Deb

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  5. Fern,

    For us , our big hope is in Jesus and his return. Under His umbrella of hope we pray and we hope for many things . We realize many of our hopes turning into reality,what a blessing that is .
    Springtime is a time of renewal and new life as we see the greening of grass, buds on the fruit trees and the birds busily foraging for food .With the approach of springtime we know that winter is slowly passing into history.
    Thanks for your blog and the brightness it brings .
    Bluesman

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