I am forever telling my kids that they should treat people well and they should treat their family even better.  I hung this in my kitchen as a reminder…

There is no title, or achievement, no amount of position, power or money, no possession, thrilling experience or adventure in this life that is more important than loving and serving those that are your family [period]

** Can’t remember where I got the quote from for sure but one gal who is always inspiring me is Lisa Bearnson so I am going to give her credit (lisabearnson.com) but if I am wrong and you know it please tell me!

Last spring I thought about some of the scenarios that touch our lives as a family and I considered making a master “what-if”  list and then tackling it a little at a time with the help of my husband.  I find we get so busy that we don’t often think about the ‘what-ifs’ until we need to and by then sometimes we can answer the question - find the piece of paper etc etc etc….

If I asked you this question…. how would you answer it?WHAT IF…..  your computer crashed and you couldn’t get it started again - you had to reformat and start from scratch?   Do you have a backup of all of your information?  What about email?  How about all of those great photos you have taken of your kids over the past several years since buying a digital camera?  Would you have it all on an external hard drive or disks or would you be sitting thinking that you were planning to do that one day when you had the time?

This past weekend I answered this question and I know if I had asked it a few months ago my answer would have prompted me to take action before I NEEDED to.   This past weekend my computer crashed and was unrecoverable.  The email mailbox was corrupted beyond repair and I lost whatever I had stored in there.  I had backed up some of my mail awhile ago but most of my mail I deal with on a day to day basis so the stuff I save is more for information purposes to look back at - more of a security blanket than anything.  That said, even losing some of my mail leaves me feeling like I might not be responding to someone as quickly as I like!

THANKFULLY - I had backed up my digital photos in November and with the exception of a few between then and now I am still able to access photos from my camera which I haven’t deleted.There are other things missing - itunes library some passwords I didn’t have written down but can access and some family files that didn’t get backed up since my pre-Christmas backup.  I am sure over time I will discover other things that I am missing as well.

The lesson in this after the fact answer to “what if my computer dies” is simple and something I will adhere to after several hours sitting at my computer….

• Backup your information - email, photos, documents etc.. (often!)
• Keep a list of the software you use on your computer to make it easier to reinstall
• Keep the discs for reinstalling in one place
• Keep a backup of software you purchase and download from the internet.
• Keep a log of passwords including download sites.  You can go back and download the software if you have a key, in most cases.
• Keep a backup and paper copy of your contact list from your email program.
• There is a lot to be said for PAPER!  Some thing just need to be written down or printed.

We never really know when we are going to be faced with a situation (big or small) so why not ask yourself  ”what if” EVERYTHING before you have to deal with a situation.  I will be asking myself a series of what if questions over the next several weeks and I hope you will keep checking back and sharing your comments and suggestions for what if questions.  I am sure together we can all think ahead and be prepared for life as it comes at us.