j . a . m . k . m . b: Weird state of nothing to report...

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."

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Weird state of nothing to report...

I guess the really creative people can easily make up cool stuff day after day, whether or not something's actually happening in their lives. Here I am on my 87th blog post, and I've hit a creative wall. I think it stems from my mind being in a daze brought on by my tired legs (from running), and that darn upcoming football season seems to be taking up entirely too much bandwidth in my already limited mental capacity. I guess I could turn this into a BYU and Texas football blog and then I could go on and on and on and, well, you get the picture. But as this is a "family" blog, I'm stumped.

I imagine I could talk about Morgan's frequent awakenings of sleep-crying. She has no idea she's doing it, but usually when she needs to go to the bathroom she just starts crying. It can take a long time to calm her down - you actually have to wake her up (water and gentle face slaps work the best) and ask her why she's crying, to which she answers that she doesn't know, and then she stops.

I guess I could mention that Brig's little treadmill incident didn't turn out as bad as it could have, as we found out from his Dr. that if it had gone on any longer he would have had to have skin grafts... Hmm, we'll just be grateful it didn't come to that and move on.

I suppose I could tell you that Micah has a big tryout this week to get on the school dance team. She's confident and would be thrilled to make. Angela's a little nervous because she knows of the moms who have put their kids in summer dance camps just for this. I'm happy to support because I trust Micah, even though the dance teacher has been known to throw some uncomfortably (for the parents) "mature" dances, themes, and costumes into the routines. Luckily Micah knows what's good and what's not, and she'll take care of participating in what she feels comfortable with. She's a very good girl.

You probably would be interested to know that Kennan's first soccer practice is tonight, and mine too I guess. It's going to be a hot one - mid 80s - so hopefully we won't have any coaches wilting from the heat. If I get tired I'll just lie down and have the kids run laps...

I guess I could say something about Angela's race this weekend even though I've already told you about it. The important thing I haven't told you about is the competition between Angela and her running partner. Angela is hoping to run her foe into the ground, to break her will, to crush her spirit, to chew her up and spit her out, to clean her clock, to ring her bell, to beat her like a drum! Game on! ............ ok, just kidding about that (that was creative though, wasn't it?).

3 days until kickoff!

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Weird state of nothing to report...

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