Wow - it feels like I come to work to get a break sometimes! Things are really hopping at home right now, but it's all good. Kennan and Micah missed swimteam yesterday because they had dress rehearsal for the big Wizard of Oz play going on from tonight through Saturday. They are performing on Thursday and Saturday, which is great considering the last couple of plays Micah's been in both casts and it's been very time consuming. Part of the deal though, is that if your kids are in the play, they ask that the parents give a lot of volunteer time. So tonight I'm on the Lights and Sounds crew -- hope I don't mess up!
A note on Dave: he has proven himself to be amazingly valuable to his company, 1-800 Contacts, as he runs their call center. They recently received recognition from JD Power & Assoc. for call center operation and customer satisfaction excellence (see link).
I've noticed from looking at the tracking on the blog that traffic has been dropping the last few days. I imagine the novelty has worn off, and people certainly have more to worry about in their day than my blog. I promise to try and make it more interesting, including more photos and things like that, which is probably what brings people to the site more than the commentary.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008
"This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.
... Professor Harold Hill, one of the principal characters in [The Music Man], voices a caution that I share with you. Says he, “You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays.”
f you have children who are grown and gone, in all likelihood you have occasionally felt pangs of loss and the recognition that you didn’t appreciate that time of life as much as you should have. Of course, there is no going back, but only forward. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future.
Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.”3 We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.
Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.” Said author Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”
In the 1960s, during the Vietnam War, Church member Jay Hess, an airman, was shot down over North Vietnam. For two years his family had no idea whether he was dead or alive. His captors in Hanoi eventually allowed him to write home but limited his message to less than 25 words. What would you and I say to our families if we were in the same situation—not having seen them for over two years and not knowing if we would ever see them again? Wanting to provide something his family could recognize as having come from him and also wanting to give them valuable counsel, Brother Hess wrote—and I quote: “These things are important: temple marriage, mission, college. Press on, set goals, write history, take pictures twice a year.”
Said one well-known author: “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend . . . when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”
Said the Lord in a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, “In nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things.”10 May we be found among those who give our thanks to our Heavenly Father. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.
Brothers and sisters, my sincere prayer is that we may adapt to the changes in our lives, that we may realize what is most important, that we may express our gratitude always and thus find joy in the journey."
Important Links
Blog Archive
-
▼
2007
(129)
-
▼
May
(23)
- VICTORY!!!
- The Honeymoon's Over
- Mem Day recap and Plans
- Memorial Day Weekend plans
- Morg, Brig, Ang
- Tuesday afternoon (PHOTOS)
- Welcome to our friends!
- Sunday evening
- The latest ... and STAR!
- AdSense
- Thursday
- Busy-ness
- Buenos Dias
- Happy Mother's Day
- Ahhh, Friday
- BIG NEWS!!
- St. George Marathon
- 1 Day to Twins! Any update from the expectant fam...
- GO JAZZ!!!
- 4 Days to Twins! Contractions have been reported...
- NEW AND EXCITING FEATURE!
- Lot Going On
- I got to have another visit to the temple yesterda...
-
▼
May
(23)
Blogger Template: Minima Black (Douglas Bowman) | 3-column - width 960px (Thur Broeders)
2 comments:
Pictures would be nice!
You can add one more visit everyday from me - I have your RSS feed on my google homepage and can read it from there. It's good to hear what's going on in the wild west...
Post a Comment