j . a . m . k . m . b: 7 lbs, 7 points, and 38 minutes

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."

Monday, November 26, 2007

7 lbs, 7 points, and 38 minutes

Where do you start after a weekend like that?

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday, which, while we weren't with our families, we were surrounded by many friends who are our adopted family. The bottom line is that I think I must have gained at least 7 pounds with all the food I ate, and I'm guessing I'm not alone in that respect. It started off of course with a great T-giving feast of turkey, taters, stuffing, yams & apples, cranberry sauce, orange rolls, regular rolls, salad, apple pie, and pumpkin pie. If it had ended there, that would have been enough to sustain me for the entire remainder of the weekend. But the madness continued when Angela put on an outstanding Asian dinner for our dinner group friends the next evening: beef & broccoli, sweet & sour chicken, sticky rice, brown rice, PF Chang's lettuce wraps, pot stickers, Chinese chicken salad, and the pies left over from the night before. Talk about a flaxen cord! But it was good to be with everyone, and especially we were grateful for each member of our little family.

And then there were the sports. A 7 point come-from-behind-in-the-last-minute w

in by the Cougs over the Utes in football made my year - again. As I said to my brothers in an email this morning, anytime you can beat the Utes at anything, it's great; but if you can tear out their hearts and stomp on them at the same time, all the better! Sorry Matt D, Sam, and everyone else who hasn't been converted to greatness yet. How could it get better I ask you? Well, the Cougs bball team beat the #6 team in the country, and hung dang tough with the #1 team in the land for 38 minutes of hard ball until they hit the proverbial wall. Good times ahead for our athletic teams. Angela asked me after the football game if I was going to lead off our Christmas DVD with that as I did last year...you never know, my friend, you never know...

It was also great to chat with my old friend and former roommate, Craig Mortensen, on Saturday. He and Krista were some of our closest friends in college, and still that way except for the fact that we talk about once every five years or so. Regardless, it's great to have awesome friends.

I'm reading an amazing book called The Blindside, by Michael Lewis. It's a football related book, but I would recommend it to anyone. I haven't finished, so I'll reserve too much comment until I'm done, but it's really good - you should check it out.

And finally, we feel really festive after attending the Festival of Lights last night with a bunch of our ward friends. It's a big holiday parade that serves as an official kickoff to the Christmas season and festivities. No tree or decorations at our house yet, but we're shooting for this weekend to get going on that.

Hope you all are well.

3 comments:

samandbrodi said...: I would appreciate it if you would not talk about the U-Y game on your blog anymore. I am trying to erase yet another late game loss to the team in blue.; November 27, 2007 at 11:22 AM
Anonymous said...: John, if you don't like the pre-game hype the week leading up to the game be very glad you aren't here for the week following the game. I have never heard such whining and crying in my life. U fan has excuses for everything. Wah wah wah. Blah blah blah. It's a little surprising just how many people in the local media here (particularly sports radio) are U fans. It's like no one outside of KSL will show any support for the Cougs. Anyway, it was a great game and I was lucky enough to be about 20 rows directly up from where Harvey scored the winning touchdown.; November 27, 2007 at 4:02 PM
jamkmb said...: Ugh, I forgot about all the bittermen who complain about the game after the fact. The refs screwed us, the team cheated, the fans were lame, the scoreboard was wrong, the commentators were biased, the stadium food stunk, I could only smuggle 7 mini bottles into the game, etc., etc., etc.

Glad I can just smile to myself knowing the Cougs won, and I don't have to explain or defend anything.; November 27, 2007 at 4:33 PM

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Monday, November 26, 2007

7 lbs, 7 points, and 38 minutes

3 comments:

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