Jim;
I prayed, reflected and then invited several families to work with me to form a group. Here are my results:
– I formed an agenda, created a ‘private’ [password-protected] web site where I posted articles (in PDF files), created links to web sites like SurvivalBlog, and set a date to gather at my home
– I found near universal interest as folks are scared about the economy and direction our country has taken
– People eagerly attended meetings (every two weeks), opined, and felt very good about gathering
– Three months into gathering I printed up some rules and requests if a retreat was to be formed on our property.
To sum:
Do your best to be prepared.
If your personal economy is tight sell your chatchkis [trinkets and collectibles] and invest in ‘beans, bullets and blankets.’
If you wished to become part of a private retreat on our ranch there were minimum levels of preparation a family would subscribe to.
If money was an issue, in order to prepare, meet with me and we’d find a way to to reach their goals. (That is, I was willing to help them financially if they committed to help themselves)
The results following that meeting:
– One person stepped up and accepted my offer of mutually beneficial financial help. We are getting a pole barn and they are getting much needed cash. They are helping us so we can help them become better prepared. They want ‘in’ our retreat
– One family has been preparing for many years and wants ‘in.’
– One lady e-mailed and told me there are not ‘enough hours in the day’ to become prepared and she and her husband backed out. We never heard from the friends that they brought one weekend either.
– We stopped hearing from three other families completely.
My conclusions (and I’d welcome some insights)
1. Many folks like to talk, few are willing to do the work and make the sacrifice in current lifestyle to prepare.
2. Considering what it takes to truly prepare some are overwhelmed. Sadly, their response is not to reach out for help, when feeling that way, but to ‘do nothing.’
3. Forming a good group is tough. We all know the statistics of marriage and divorce. Entering into a committed preparedness relationship may be as tough or tougher. Forming a group to rely on one another in the most dire of circumstances is daunting, indeed.
4. Finally, what Winston Churchill said applies: “Never, never, never quit.” The safety of my family may well rely upon my ability to form an effective retreat group. I’ll take the above lessons in and continue adding onto the two families who have opted into our retreat. I’ll make a plan B, and then a plan C, and so on. I’ll keep doing all I can to ensure we have the best provisions, location and, most importantly, the best people we can find to survive what may come. – D.S.