j . a . m . k . m . b: Memorial Day Weekend plans

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."

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Memorial Day Weekend plans

In honor of the Memorial Day Weekend coming up, I thought I'd reminisce a little. Memorial Day still doesn't seem complete to us without the Richards extended family Millcreek breakfast. We loved the company, the beautiful setting, and of course, the food. I remember Roger pulling a couple of skinny trout out of an even skinnier stream, many times with his cords wet from jumping in to grab a fish or free his line. I remember Grandpa and Grandma cooking up eggs and pancakes, bacon and hashbrowns. I remember catching up with cousins we didn't see too often, and really enjoying being together at a picnic table. I remember hoping the kids didn't fall into the creek. I'm sure there were horseshoes in early years, and probably some games for the kids. In later years I particularly enjoyed either cycling or running up to the breakfast, but I'm sure it tainted everyone's breakfast around me who didn't have nose plugs on. We got so much enjoyment out of our extended family, and we still do! We miss all of you and wish we could see you all every time we make it into town.

Memorial Day was also a big cabin weekend for our family. In honor of this tradition, I thought I'd put together a top ten list of memories I have of the cabin:

CABIN TOP TEN MEMORIES:
10. The fort we built, and the wood machine guns we used to defend it...especially in the snow!
9. Cross-country skiing in deep powder into the cabin - wasn't always fun, but every once in a while, it was magical...especially coming back down and seeing Dad wipe out
8. High-altitude, horse-fly dodging, don't-hit-the-ball-into-the-pasture tennis games
7. Grandma and Grandpa Richards hiking in during a blizzard on Christmas Eve to deliver "Our Team's the Greatest" t-shirts
6. Hard work: Finishing the basement, moving the piano upstairs, staining, building stairs
5. Staying up way too late in our three-boy-to-a-room suites upstairs, and forgetting that Mom and Dad could hear everything as they were right below us
4. Chili-patty melts specifically, and all the good food generally over the years
3. Being happily crowded around the dinner table as the family grew ... and grew ... and grew ...
2. Our honeymoon ... :-)
1. Fishing with Dad - on the river, in the lake, and as base camp for forays into the Uintahs

Have a great weekend up there guys, we'll miss you!

1 comment:

Spencer said...: Other cabin memories:
1. throwing how many thousand rocks in Smith & Morehouse.
2. Oakley Rodeo
3. Shakes at Polar King(is that what it's called?)
4. pull-up contests on the upstairs banister
5. whiffle ball baseball and "wood projects" in the unfinished basement
6. watching grainy BYU football games and conference after pulling the old TV out of the closet and plugging in the antenna
7. warming up to fires in the Woodsman
8. various wildlife adventures--moose, deer, bear, etc, etc
9. getting to be the gate opener
10. just being with fam.; May 28, 2007 at 5:51 AM

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Memorial Day Weekend plans

1 comment:

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