Angelina

17 lbs.-- the thought has been on my mind lately.

17 can be a great number! I could handle losing 17 lbs. of body fat, gaining 17 lbs. of muscle, receiving a 17 lb. Hershey's Kiss for Valentine's Day or heck, I could handle finding a 17 lb. nugget of gold as we're tilling our garden this spring.

But 17 lbs. was a harsh, painful number for members of the handcart companies crossing the plains in the 1850's.

As many of you know, that was the weight allowance for each traveler's personal items.

17 lbs.

Can you imagine distilling all our earthly treasures to 17 lbs.? What would you take on the journey?

I'm pondering this as our family has the unparalleled opportunity to travel on a "Rocky Ridge" trek this summer with our stake in Wyoming. It will be following the journey of the Willie Handcart Company of 1856 when they were hit by early snows and devastated by illness, starvation and freezing to death.

Like the trek we are reenacting, we only have 17 lbs. of personal gear allowed. That is going to be tough for a two-day trek, and I can't imagine all my personal belongings on the earth having to be discarded down to 17 lbs.

What sheer grit and unwavering faith they demonstrated in just that act alone-- leaving everything behind but 17 lbs. Amazing. I urge us to have the faith to leave everything personal behind but 17 lbs. It's a good exercise in distancing ourselves from the lure of the possessions of the world as we picture ourselves doing this.

I am hoping to get-- no, wait, I will get-- the best preparedness goodies that only weigh 17 lbs.; and learn how to use them expertly so I don't NEED more goodies than 17 lbs. will handle.

And I hope-- no, wait-- I'm certain-- the 17 lbs. of fat loss goal will be a bonus side effect of getting and learning to use my preparedness goodies. Sweet. 17 is sounding like my new lucky number!

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