On Good Friday in 2011, our house in Ferguson, Missouri was hit by an F4 tornado. Many people write about food storage from their accumulating of food storage during easy times. They have a knowledge of it, but haven’t had to really live it. I haven’t written about food storage because of our abundance, but because we’ve had to live from our food storage out of necessity. We lived through that F-4 tornado that hit our house. While the tornado didn’t completely destroy our home, we were displaced by it. Having food storage in our house allowed me to literally pack up three week’s worth of food and take it to the hotel in which the insurance company was putting us up. I didn’t have to think about food or menus or about money to eat out every meal. This knowledge gave me the freedom to focus on getting things settled with the insurance company. I had the freedom to keep my kids going and to deal with them not feeling safe. I had the freedom to run to different places to sign documents or make the different phone calls to deal with the devastation the storm wreaked on our home. Since that time, I’ve lived through two other life-changing events. I was an eye-witness to the Ferguson riots. No matter which side of the equation you come down on, it was life-changing and eye-opening. I also lived through an armed standoff with a knife-wielding man during my family’s time at a local homeschool chess club. This taught me the importance of knowing how to react before something happens, so you get it right. You don’t have time to think things over. Each of these things taught me a new level of self-sufficiency and preparedness. I never knew what life was going to throw at me, but my journey to self-sufficiency started with food storage and grew beyond my wildest imaginings. If you are interested in finding out more about me, Karen Morris, or A Year Without the Grocery Store, you can head here: http://ayearwithoutthegrocerystore.com. --This text refers to the paperback edition.