".....a house of learning, a house of order, a house of God." D&C 88:119
So, we come to the end of the scripture we've been referencing.
A House of Learning:
On my bathroom wall are several quotes for reading enjoyment when you have nothing else to do but stare :). Among these quotes is one from my all time hero - Benjamin Franklin. It says, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."
What kind of learning do we need? We need both secular and spiritual learning. Often times, those two crisscross each other. If knowledge is the only thing we can take with us when we pass this life, it is indeed the most important thing to be doing with our time. The size of our house, the brand of clothing we wear, or how much we paid for the food we ate at nice restaurants will be of zero value.
Of course we are counseled to "...seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom (D&C 88:118)." How can the best books help us learn to become self-reliant?
My husband and I were in Bookworms the other day and found this awesome book! It is called "The Incredible Edible Landscape." It shares ideas where you can organize your yard to look beautiful, but more importantly you can mix beautiful flowers with lettuces and other vegetables to make a life sustaining yard.
Here is a link to the book:
Here is a blog I found called "Gardening Under the Influence" (...isn't that hilarious???) :
Gardening is only one way to use your knowledge to become moreself-reliant...there are SO many more!
A House of Order:
I am the last person on earth to teach anyone about order. It is something I am consistently working and striving for...though I fall short often. Something that has helped me is to make a priority list. I list out all the things that need to be done and then number them either a 1,2 or 3. My goal is to get all my "1's" done. If I can do no more than that, I have gotten the most important things done and I can feel good about it. It is too bad that the top of my dresser is always a "3", but someday it will bug me enough to be a "1" :) .
How does order help us to become more self-reliant? With all of the things you have stored away for the future, do you know where to find them? Some of the three month supply items might need to be rotated because of their shorter shelf life. Order with regard to these things will make your life so much easier when the time comes to use these items.
Something else I have started (if you remember me talking about using Home Depot moving boxes for #10 cans) - is to take the moving boxes and list on a 3x5 card what is in them. For instance, "Tomato powder x 3" - if I pull one out to use, I change the x 3 to a x 2. Then I will put on the bottom of the card how many empty spaces I have in the box.
Here is a link with more ideas:
A House of God:
The most important aspect of self-reliance is actually the reliance on our Heavenly Father to help guide and direct us. I often pray for guidance and I find things that I hadn't thought of before. My sister, who's husband is paraplegic, has many of the same needs I do. However, there are very many different things she needs to store for her family than we need.
Our Father is mindful of us. If any of this is overwhelming to you, as for guidance and He will help you as He as our family.
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And another thing...
A few months ago we discussed the importance of having a good sleeping bag. As I looked and looked for more reasonable prices, I was getting discouraged because high quality sleeping bags with a good rating were just really expensive. Well, I found something that is doable for our family. They are used military issue bags that are so cool that I just can't hardly contain myself!!!
The prices vary, but they have been tried and true by our military so the research and development has already been done on them. What makes them so cool is that they are actually three bags in one. If the weather is warmer, you only need part of the bag. As it cools off, you tuck another part into the bag. With all three bags the temperature rating can go to 30 to 40 degrees below zero. Many campers/preppers don't take a tent to practice with them. They only use the sleeping bag!
Here is where I found them:
Then click on the "used" button.
Remember, if you choose to get some, do not buy from sellers who have a poor rating - I wouldn't go with anything less than 96% positive feedback.
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