Warm Your Heart This Winter — Delilah’s Reflections

It has been a tough year for many people with the way the weather has been.

Delilah shares a note from an old friend who had to deal with the elements and explains how you should prepare yourself while also trying to give a helping hand.

The weather outside has been downright frightening in many regions. It isn't the curl-up-with-a-cup-of-hot-cocoa-and-a-book kind of weather. It's been more like get-prepared-for-power-outages-and-bitter-dangerous-cold kind of weather.
I recently got a note from an old friend who lives in the Great Lakes region...she was without power for 11 days last month. No heat, no generator, no phone or Internet and no way to get out of her remote location. She feared she and her two teens would perish in the sub-zero temps...until a neighbor who lived a few miles away thought to check on them and rescued them.
We all need to be prepared for the storms of life -- literal and figurative. You can find great lists on the Internet of the emergency supplies you should have for your region and your potential weather threat. I've heard of people tapping into their emergency food supplies to help them temporarily get by during times of recession and job loss. You never know what trouble may come your way so it's best to be prepared for anything.
A good way to get started stocking up on emergency supplies is to budget for a few extra things each time you take a trip to the store. Start small if you have to...but start somewhere. It may be an added cost you have to bear, but the price you pay could be much higher if you're ill-prepared in an emergency.
Now, when you find yourself comfortable and mobile in a time of emergency, I hope you will be the kind of person who checks in on your neighbors. Check on them when the power is out or when the temps are too low or when the snow has shut them in. Help a neighbor shovel their walkway. If you happen to find out a neighbor is sick, offer to get groceries or deliver a dinner. One listener told me how she pulled her car over to help an elderly neighbor cross an icy street and the woman was so thankful she stopped to help. A simple check-in, a simple good deed won't cost you anything but a little time. But it could be someone's answered prayer -- keep that on your heart this month.

How do YOU prepare yourself in case of an emergency? Comment below!