The girls and I learned something new about Brig this morning. He loves to plant big kisses on Mom and his sisters, but he won't give kisses to Dad unless he's far away and can blow them from a distance. At first I was a bit upset about this, but as I thought about it more, I think it's a good thing. I don't really think it's a bad thing that he only likes to kiss pretty girls and not whiskery men.
Angela and I are headed to Philadelphia for a little weekend R&R the weekend of July 5-8. We're really looking forward to it already because we won't see Nate and Jenny this summer, and we can't wait to see Hailey's cute pregnant tummy (I should clarify...ANGELA can't wait to see it). A really kind friend here in our ward offered to take all of the kids for the weekend! She probably will hate us (you said the "H" word, Dad) by the time we get back, but it will surely be a few days of blissful ignorance for us.
Can't wait to see Mom and Dad Richards tomorrow! The kids, who have generously offered to give up their room for Grandpa and Grandma, are excited for their sleepovers in the front room. It has nothing to do with the fact that the TV is out there, I'm sure.
More on the fun weekend as it gets here. Have a great afternoon and day.
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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."
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1 comment:
We're jealous of your Philly trip. Molly and I had a blast last fall on our extended weekend getaway, especially sans kids. I'm pretty sure that wasn't conception weekend for the twins, but we might have spent a little time in the bullpen warming up! Whoa, I'm going to get horsewhipped by a certain spouse of mine for that comment. Sorry hun, it just slipped out. And of course we all know it's not true because Molly was already pregnant and in the throws of morning-extended-to-all-times-of-the-day sickness. So none of those shenanigans, but we sure had fun playing games, visiting sites, and just being with the Phillies.
We're surviving here in twin-ville. Molly and the babes are asleep which means the rest of us are carousing, making messes, disorganizing the house and generally raising Cain. It's great. We really are doing well. The kids are so great and get a little more awake each day.
Laters
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