If we had to leave in a hurry…

I’ve been thinking of this a little bit lately… what if we had to leave our home in a hurry.  No, not because of an impending flood, but for some other reason entirely.

For a little background, I guess I ought to say that we’re not all set up to survive for 90 days or two years or whatever.  We don’t have a great huge stockpile of anything.  Well, except wheat and pink salt.  We do have a bunch of both.

So, I’ve been sort of glancing here and there in our home — taking a brief mental inventory of what’s important and what’s not so important.  O, and by the way, I guess I should add that some of this thinking has been prompted by a book I was skimming.   Among many things, the author was recommending a pretty dramatic reduction of personal belongings.   In her book, SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life, Julie Morgenstern tackles some key areas I’ve been seeking to work on in my life – from practical or physical treasures to clutter and time management.  She recommends taking a personal survey (at her website) to help identify personal strengths and weaknesses.  In addition, the results of the survey will also identify simple or challenging areas for needed improvement or change.  The SHED stands for: Separate the treasures,  Heave the trash, Embrace your identity, Drive yourself forward.  It’s not, obviously, a “Christian worldview” book — thus the skimming.

Well, back to the “what would I grab” thought.  You know how people often say that they’d grab their photos and other mementos should the house catch fire?  Well, I’ve thought about that a lot, too.   But in assessing this situation lately, I’ve been thinking, which photos??  Should I take all of them?  Which ones would I leave behind?  I’d love to be able to say that I have them all organized into special books for each child, special occasions and family events.  But no.

Then, what about all the shelves of books?  Then I thought of the special letters, cards, and gifts I’ve received from dear family and friends.  Ahhhh… but which ones would I bring?  Which ones — as in boxes — would I leave behind?   Besides my Bible, what books would I bring?  How many journals would I bring?  My computer — would I just bring my laptop?  Would I leave trinkets, jewelry, and teacups behind?  What about all the other stuff??  And, our children would take cues about what’s important in life as they witness our attention given to the most important things.  So, what would those things be?

Well, I know it would truly all depend on where we were going and if we’d never be coming back.  And, yes, if we were only driving one vehicle away.  So then, my thoughts zero in on the very, very practical:  What will we need to wear, to drink, to eat, to read, to cover up with for sleeping and what’s the most practical way to carry it all?

Since we live right next to a river and a levee,  we’ve faced these questions in a very literal and practical sense already — it sort of makes it a bit easier.  But then, obviously, we’ve always come back home.   But what would we take if we weren’t coming back home?

What if you had to suddenly leave your home… what would you take?