WHAT IF Your Computer Crashes...

This happened to me early last week. My computer was old, but it worked fine. And the really great thing was that it was free, a generous gift from a friend.

Of course, I'd been searching for our external hard-drive the week before the crash. I kept telling Beej, "I really need to back up some of my photos. It's been a few months, and I'm worried I'll lose it all if the computer crashes". I said that, but I was still shocked when it actually happened. Thankfully, one of our local computer techs was able to retrieve all the files I needed. What a blessing! I was already thinking I might cry if I lost all the recent pictures of Grace, so I am very happy that didn't happen.

This did get me thinking though. What would I want to take with me (apart from family--of course!) if our house was on fire or hit by an earthquake or suffered some other major catastrophe where all of our belongs were trashed or gone. If I actually had time to grab anything that is.

I realized everything I'd want to save has something to do with the people in my life who have loved me and have made a difference. We don't really have any expensive furniture or family heirlooms, so that made the decision easier for me. Photos are definitely at the top of my list, but they tie with all the cards and notes I've saved over the years from Beej and some other really great friends. And my journals. Can't forget those. These were the "things" that kept running through my head. The things dearest to my heart--words of love and encouragement, correspondence, evidence of deep and lasting connections with others. I'll admit it, though it's no surprise to those who know me, books came in a close third, but those are obviously replaceable.

It's morbid, I know, but what would you want to save? I think it's something worth thinking about, even if it's just to spark a deeper love for the people in our lives and a looser grasp on the things around us.