Thoughts and stories, by Pal

  Beautiful thoughts on being prepared for storms that will come! How Can I Make Mine the House That Survives the Storm? By  Kathy K. Clayton  · April 13, 2022 Spring is a season of emerging. Winter-weary gardens everywhere are enlivened by determined, purple and marigold crocuses dotting the dirt as they press upward. Those tenacious flowers have awaited the spring sunshine under layers of short days and winter snow. This year there has been a different and unprecedented emergence occurring simultaneously. Unmasked neighbors and friends are resurfacing after having been hunkered down under layers of hand sanitizer and social distancing. The whole blessed time of return has been a welcome celebration of rebirth. This season of emergence is an opportune time to look around and within to enable us to conscientiously attend to the details of the structures of our lives with care, as we dust off the remnants of a long winter, both literally and figuratively. It’s a valuable t...

This is a very timely and interesting article!  The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and You Let Him By  Carolyn Nicolaysen  · December 8, 2021 Author’s Note: When I spoke in Herriman, Utah a few weeks ago I had several people ask about the checklist binder I had with me. I had not yet finished the sections but they are done and available now at  Totallyready.com  I do not have email addresses or a way to contact those who asked so please spread the word. These sections are checklists to help guide your preparations and to access as a guide when the power fails, storms are on their way or for cleaning up after a disaster. They are step by step and ready to go.                    Thieves love the holiday season. They can do all their “shopping” in one place as we place gifts under the tree, leave them on counters to wrap and are overwhelmed and often ignore common sense safety pra...

  Another great article from Meridian Magazine.  We all can use this counsel! Creating a Family Culture of Self-Reliance By  Carolyn Nicolaysen  · September 1, 2021 “Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. We could refer to all the components of personal and family preparedness, not in relation to holocaust or disaster, but in cultivating a life-style that is on a day-to-day basis its own reward.” –Spencer W. Kimball September is National Emergency Preparedness Month in the United States. What a perfect time to recommit and create a culture that will bring peace now and for generations to come. A successful self-reliance program is all about creating a mindset, making preparing something the family does without even thinking about it; a family culture. Family culture is the combination of a family’s habits, traditions, goals, values, beliefs, and choices. Your family may have a family culture of service. When any fami...

What You Would Need for a Self-Quarantine By  Carolyn Nicolaysen  · March 1, 2020 The news on the coronavirus gets worse with each hour that passes. More travel advisories have been issued, colleges are bringing home students on study abroad programs in Italy, the virus is now on every continent except Antarctica, Mexico has banned cruise ships from disembarking, 3 counties in California and San Francisco have  declared a health emergency, Quatar has ordered its citizens to leave Iran and in five minutes there will be more breaking news. The numbers of those infected is unreliable as Iraq and Italy are not testing for the virus unless a person is already ill. South Korean officials are asking that leaders of a church at the center of the country’s outbreak be investigated on murder charges, the Louvre in Paris closed, Rhode Island reported its first “presumptive” coronavirus case, and there has been a death in Washington.  We know a c...

This article can apply in so many ways in our lives!  Very wise!  This appeared in LDS Living. Latter-day Saint Psychologist: One Often-Misunderstood New Testament Scripture That Can Help You Be Less Anxious by Dr. David T. Morgan  | Mar. 02, 2019 Makes You Think I have often struggled with anxiety. To some, it might seem a little strange that a psychologist would have mental health challenges, like knowing a cardiologist who has heart disease. Regardless, my base nature is to worry. It has been a source of distress for many years but has also been an opportunity for growth and insight. One of my ongoing stressors has been concerns for the future. I find myself worried about our children, our finances, our livelihood—just about anything that is not within my direct control. Fortunately, my wife has great faith, and her steadiness usually counteracts my panic. Yet even then, I often get overly worri...