Hurricane Irene is 2-3 days away from Vermont. Will it be a windy rainstorm or a total flooded disaster?

Wish I knew. In the spirit of “prepare for the worst and hope for the best”, I just photographed everything I own that I would like an insurance company to replace- including a picture of my camera in the mirror- and uploaded them to flickr. (Sorry, they’re not public.) And now I am feeling very richly blessed.

I’m also feeling a little panicked. I’m not prone to regular panic attacks, thank goodness, but I am definitely a paranoid sort of person. Yes, I have more flashlights than I need… and lamps with oil… and plenty of food and water and gas… and I put all the lawn furniture in the barn… and each kid has a backpack of clothes ready to go…. It’s actually quite hard for me to know where to draw the line. With hindsight, I will know which of these preparations were worth the time and money and which were a waste, but for now I have to tell myself “That’s enough!” sometime before I spend all the money or completely overdo it- or both.

Am I prepared? Hmmm, that question gets more and more difficult to answer every day. One can always do more.

Where can I turn for internal peace? The scriptures are one of my favorite places. Doctrine and Covenants section 45, beginning in verse 22 or so, but especially 56 and 57: “And at that day, when I shall come in my ^aglory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten ^bvirgins. For they that are wise and have received the ^atruth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their ^bguide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the ^cfire, but shall abide the day.” There’s similar language in Matthew chapter 24, especially verses 37, 49, and 50.

Who is “prepared”? She who has flashlight batteries, and a strong faith.