When Jack, my husband, and I drove past a fire station with a sign reading, “Are you ready for the next storm?” Our area had just been in the path of Hurricane Irma, causing downed trees and outages. We were stuck in the dark and cut off from the outside world.

We have had our share of storms in the past — a snowstorm and other heavy snows that knocked down trees, sometimes up to a week at a time. Those days in a cold house weren’t fun, but we learned so much from those early storms, things that made later storms easier to bear.

Now we have stored up flashlights, lanterns and candles. We bought a battery-operated radio to keep up with the news. We stocked up on batteries so that we’d have plenty for extended power failures. We make sure our grill (烤架) is ready and its tank is full, and we purchase food that can be easily prepared and then cooked or heated on the grill. And we don’t forget to buy emergency chocolate! We have book lights to read in the dark. We keep our car gas tanks full and have emergency cash on hand.

We’re ready for the next storm, but we wouldn’t have learned to do all those things if we hadn’t encountered a storm in the past. The same is true spiritually. Those little storms in our lives are never fun, but they prepare us for the big storms — the big trials — that will come our way. They can teach us some valuable lessons.

Are you ready for the next storm? Now is the time to get ready... not when the storm arrives.

Self-respect is very important for a great life. If we lack self-respect we will be unsure of ourselves and try to be someone we are not. The following are some ways we can improve our self-respect.

【小题1】 There is great pressure from parents, work and society to become a certain person and to achieve certain things. But, real self-respect only comes from being true to our inner calling. It is important that you have faith (信念) in your own values and remember what is important to you.

Respect others. If you have no respect for others, how can you have self-respect? 【小题2】

Learn to deal with criticism (批评). When we are criticized, we feel bad about ourselves. So to keep a sense of self-respect, we need to learn how to handle criticism. 【小题3】 If there is some truth in it, we can use it to develop our character.

【小题4】 Our appearance is important. It can give us confidence or it can make us feel ashamed. Dressing smartly gives us self-confidence. Dress for your own benefit. Don’t dress in the hope of pleasing others and receiving praises.

Never dislike yourself. We make mistakes or we may do the wrong thing. 【小题5】 We should never hate ourselves.

On my first job as sports editor for the Montpelier Leader Enterprise (MLE), I didn’t get a lot of fan mail, so my attention was caught by a letter on my desk one morning.

When I opened it, I read: “Sweet piece of writing on the Tigers. Keep up the good work.” It was signed by Don Wolfe, the sports editor. Because I was a teenager (being paid the grand total of 15 cents a column inch), his words could not have been more inspiring. I kept the letter in my desk drawer until it got old. Whenever I doubted I had the right stuff to be a writer, I would reread Don’s note and walk on air again.

Later, when I got to know him, I learned that Don made a habit of writing a quick, encouraging note to people in all walks of life. “When I make others feel good about themselves,” he told me, “I feel good, too.”

Over the years, I’ve tried to copy Don and write uplifting words. In a world too often cold and unresponsive, such notes bring warmth.

Why are positive note writers in such short supply? My guess is that many who shy away from the practice are too self-conscious. They are afraid they will be misunderstood. Thus it may cause troubles and problems. And it sounds insincere on the phone. Also, writing takes time; it is far easier to pick up the phone.

The drawback of phone calls, of course, is that they do not last. A note attaches more importance to our well-wishing. It is a matter of record, and our words can be read more than once, savored(回味) and treasured, and they bring strength and love to us.

Today I sent a warm letter to my old boss. I don’t know if it will make his day, but it made mine. As my friend Don Wolfe said, “Making others feel good about themselves makes me feel good too”.