Am I prepared?
We’ve just been through some dreadful storms in the Wairarapa. Tuesday saw an orange level wind warning with gusts up to 120 km/hour. Then on Thursday MetService issued a rare red-level wind warning, and forecast "life-threatening" gale force winds and gusts of up to 140km/h
It has been intense and although my house shuddered and shook, she held up well. What didn’t hold up well was the power supply. Off it went early on Tuesday morning and it wasn’t back on, in my case, until 48 hours later. 10,000 homes were affected - some for three days.
No power, no water
Whilst I’m no stranger to power cuts, and I love candles so had plenty hanging around, I’m not used to not having power for 48 hours. In my case, no power means no water as I’m on a bore and it uses a pump to bring the water up. That means I can’t flush the toilet or use water for anything else. Whilst I had water in the hot water cylinder, this started to dwindle and trickle out closer to the 48 hour mark.
I do have a trough outside that collects water, so used that to flush the toilet. In the retirement village, one of Mum’s kindly neighbours delivered thermos’s of hot water heated from their barbecue to other residents which meant Mum could have a cup of tea. I went to her place and slaked my thirst!
She got power on before I did, so I stayed the night at her place so that I could eat a decent meal and have a lovely hot shower. How one appreciates the simple things when one hasn’t had them for a while. And it was only two days!
Disaster preparation
So, I’ve been focussed on disaster preparation for the last couple of days. I bought myself a little two burner gas cooker, and have just bought a 200L water tank to collect rain water.
My brother-in-law is investigating ways to keep my pump running (maybe truck batteries with an inverter) and I’m reviewing food items in my pantry and emergency boxes.
I was appreciating the fact that I’ve planted a vege garden (not yet producing anything other than lettuce though!) and that I didn’t have much in my fridge or freezer as it got decidedly warm in there, and the softer items (frozen berries etc) do seem to have stuck together.
All this got me thinking about how we often aren’t prepared for the worst. It’s quite possible that there won’t be an enormous disaster and that these precautions will not be required. But, these storms have been a good jolt, reminding me that you can’t sit back and think you’ll be fine.
As I write this, the weather has literally just changed from calm, sunny, still and 16°, to a southerly accompanied by a “feels like” temperature of 3° and hail! Don’t you love spring?!
It’s not just natural disasters
It’s not just natural disasters to prepare for either. I’m watching my mother age and deteriorate and so have been mentally preparing myself for the inevitable. This could be 10 years away, or it could happen tomorrow. You just never know. I check in regularly as to whether she needs more support and in what areas.
I’m spending some time ‘downloading’ the family history from her and documenting it all. There are hundreds of family photos from 3, 4 and 5 generations ago, and I have no clue who most of them are. It has been interesting to bring it all together and to understand who’s who and where they all fit in. The names are familiar, but I didn’t understand the exact lineage.
Along the way, there have been some interesting stories - like my Great Aunt who married an Irish man in South Africa and was coming home to NZ to live with him, only to find he’d skipped off with her secretary! And then to find that actually, he already had a wife and family back in Ireland anyway! Funnily enough, that marriage was annulled.
I also find myself thinking “what will we do with all her stuff?” And believe me, there is a lot, particularly when it comes to her hobby.
There, but not here
But can one prepare oneself for the loss of someone so special? You just don’t know what that’s going to feel like until they are not there.
I feel like I’m at an advantage here. I know there is more after this life and that we can still connect with those who have passed, because I’ve had the experience.
In my Akashic Record work, I occasionally get information passed to me from a loved one. I’m not talking to them directly, but I get it passed to me through the Record Keeper of that client. I’ve also had a connection with my Dad who passed in 2006, and this too was facilitated by my spiritual team in the Akashic Records.
So whilst I know my Mum may not be present physically when she passes, I know she will still be there in some form. I’ll still be able to communicate with her, it will just be in a different way. There is the possibility she won’t want to communicate with me though. Maybe she will have had enough of me by then and decide some peace and quiet would be really good!!!
The last parent
With Dad already gone, Mum is our last parent. And Mum’s are like a beautiful warm blanket. They make you feel safe and secure, wrap you in love, and are always there when you need them - even if it’s just to share a thermos of tea during a power cut!
Whilst knowing she’s not far away may make the transition easier in some ways, there will still be a sense of loss and grief, and I’m not really quite sure how to prepare myself for that.
For now I’m enjoying spending time with Mum, helping where I can and putting the pieces of our family history together so that I can pass that on to my boys in due course.
So, I feel like as much as I can be, I’m prepared for anything.
Kàren
