This is the view from my back deck today. We got hit with a major snow and ice storm the weekend before last. Over 50,000 people in my area lost power, including us. There are still people without power, and the weather report is we’re going to experience sub-zero temperatures. Today it is, with the windchill, -29ºC or -20ºF. Some people’s pipes are freezing, creating a disaster for many families. Civic centers, etc., are opening their doors to harbor these people for free.

We lost our power for a few days. Any other previous year this would have meant disaster for us as well. However, a couple of weeks before the storm hit, we had a woodstove installed. So through the crisis we had heat to warm the house, our water and our food. We were not only okay, but comfortable. The woodstove companies are busy trying to keep up with the demand for installations. I imagine!

I didn’t want to be like the man with the leaky roof. He couldn’t fix it when it was raining because of the weather. He wouldn’t fix it when it wasn’t raining because, well, it wasn’t leaking. I wanted to be ready. Things like this happen in my region.

There are times we go through spiritual freezes as well. We just get dumped on. Things feel very cold. It’s a time of crisis. A time of disaster. So it is good to prepare. Don’t wait to find help when you’re in the middle of a crisis. Don’t research your problem when you’re in the middle of it. Don’t rely on your luck when it runs out.

Read books now. Research now. Meditate now. Change now. Build up your reserves. Fill your tank. Recharge your well while you can. Stock up your spiritual wisdom in the present.

Then, when the storm hits, you may have something to fall back on.