{focus!}

(images via google image search)

i had a dream last night that i was in a high-rise building when there was a huge earthquake and the buildings started to fall apart.

i bet many of us are affected by the news we hear. earthquakes in haiti. earthquakes in chile. many lives lost. millions of dollars worth of damage to homes and infrastructure. many people are homeless and depend on others for their survival.

there was an article in our this month's church magazine which listed some of the wars and natural disasters in recent history (in the past 100 years).

i'll just mention some of them here:
earthquake kills 150,000 in southern italy and sicily.

world war I.

worldwide influenza epidemic kills millions.

u.s. stock market collapses, beginning worldwide economic crisis.

world war II.

millions killed in the holocaust.

first use of atomic weapons.

hydrogen bomb developed.

vietnam war.

terrorists strike munich olympics.

genocide in cambodia.

airliner blown up over scotland.

persian gulf war.

earthquake in japan kills thousands.

massacres in rwanda.

9-11.

u.s. and allies invade iraq.

indian ocean tsunami kills more than 225,000.

global financial crisis.

ok, my blog is supposed to be light and heartwarming. but at times i can't help but talk about more serious issues.

some thoughts that come to my mind about all this:

any one of us can die at any time. are you prepared? do you tell your loved ones that you love them? do you show that love for them each day?

have you written a will?

do you have adequate health/life insurance?

are you trying to get out of debt?

if a natural disaster was to happen in your area, would you know what to do?

would you be prepared?

do you have enough water, food and supplies to last you at least three days?

do you own a flashlight?

do you own a fire extinguisher?

would you be prepared to feed your family and keep them warm if there were no electricity or running water for a few days/for a week?

do you know first aid?

do you donate money for humanitarian aid?

no one wants to think about these things. but i believe it's important to ponder these issues before a disaster happens. the more you are prepared, the less fearful you'll feel.

again: the more you are prepared, the less fearful you'll feel.

it takes a while to do all this. why not start right now and do something? anything to be more prepared if any kind of disaster comes your way.

many governments now admonish citizens to have a 72-hour emergency kit. do a google search and you'll learn all about it. there are recommended lists of items you should have handy. it's not rocket science really. you just need to have 3 days worth of food and anything else your family would need for basic survival.

i mainly wrote this posting for myself. i'm yet to finish our 72-hour emergeny kit. i'm yet to write a will.

much to do.

too many distractions.

focus!