“All
things are ready, if our mind be so.” ~William Shakespeare, English poet and
playwright (1564-1616)
The closet disappeared into the darkness beneath
the stairs. Its appearance was deceptive to say the least. A short single rod
across the opening, filled with winter coats, made it look as if it were simply
a shallow, hall coat closet.
Once the coats were pushed aside however, it
revealed an enclosure which sloped down following the underside the stairs then
turning right disappearing out of sight. Parting the clothes and peering in
always reminded me of the days I read The
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to my then 8-year old daughter, Angela.
Those memories quickly dissipated with the
realization that I was there to clean and not to reminisce. On several
occasions I had mustered the courage to begin this cleaning project.
Unfortunately I never got much beyond sorting the clothes hung on the wooden
dowel, reluctantly taking a few to the Salvation Army, then returning the
remainder to the spot where they had previously hung.
Today I was resolute. Today I would finish the
cleaning job that had so often frustrated me. Laying aside the coats and
jackets, I clicked on the flash light and headed in for the first layer of
boxes. One-by-one I opened each box, carefully examining the contents. Some I
resealed and accurately labeled. Others were set aside in a tentative donation
pile for approval by my wife Teresa. The third and smallest group was held out
for possible use.
The project was going unusually well. Three-quarters
of the way into the closet however, I stumbled upon a nondescript, almost
unmarked box. It was sealed with reinforced packing tape which the unknown
manufacturer had placed there some time in the past. The only thing
decipherable on the box was a series of numbers (2 2 94). Showing the box to
Teresa, I asked if she recognized it. She did not.
Pulling the box cutter from my hip pocket, I carefully
sliced the packing tape. Pulling open the lid, we discovered a series of foil
packets. They resembled the food and water packets that backpackers take on
extended outings. It was then that we realized what this was.
Shortly after the Northridge earthquake in January,
1994, we decided we would never be caught unprepared for an earthquake again.
Living seventeen miles from the epicenter was enough of a wakeup call for
anybody. So, to this end, we purchased an over-priced survival kit of dried
food, water, and supplies and had carefully stored it under the stairs. 2.2.94
was the date we had purchased it, making it nearly 20 years old.
“Think this stuff is any good?” I asked Teresa. “I
have the perfect place for this box,” she replied. Taking the box from my hands,
she headed out the back door in the direction of the garbage cans.
The willingness to be prepared always seems to be
in direct proportion to the proximity of the disaster for which we are
preparing. In other words, two weeks after our experience of the Northridge
earthquake, we were nearly desperate to assure ourselves we would be prepared
for the next seismic event. Nineteen years later, however, it didn’t seem like
such a big deal.
As stewards of the life God has given us we are
not only called to live our lives well, but to also be well prepared for the
end of our lives as well. Life is many things, but Thomas Merton reminded us
that living our life well means spiritually preparing ourselves for death.
One way to approach this is to live each day well.
It is easy to get mired in activity and the relentless urge to be busy; to be
task-oriented. For some, life’s happiness is measured by completing everything
on our “to do” list. But living a life filled with activity does not
necessarily mean we are living life to its fullest.
We are entering the season of Advent. Advent means
“coming.” When we know something is coming, if we are conscientious, we prepare
for it. Take some time this Advent season to prepare for the coming of Christ spiritually.
Life’s earthquakes will come, as will those great
moments of joy. Their advent is upon us. Be prepared.
Dear God: Help me to live in the moment while learning from
the past and preparing for the future.
“The
fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared
to die at any time.” ~Mark Twain, American humorist, writer and
lecturer (1835-1910)|
|
“90 Second Stewardship” All rights are reserved. You are welcome and encouraged to forward this e-mail to family and friends provided the”© 2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.” is included along with this message. Organizations, whether for or non profit, are required to receive written approval before reproducing these reflections. If written approval is given the “© 2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.” must be included along with this message.
No comments:
Post a Comment