j . a . m . k . m . b: Another Successful Trip to End '07 and Start '08

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, January 2, 2008

Another Successful Trip to End '07 and Start '08

We had an awesome holiday vacation with family, friends, and food. All the hectic planning and preparation of moving our family and Christmas plans to another state for a couple weeks was worth it in the end. Here's a summary:

I should have known it was going to be a good trip when we set a new travel time record of 11 hours flat on the way to Utah. All of the following were things we enjoyed (in rough chronological order):

--the extended Richards family Christmas party and catching up with aunts, uncles, and cousins
--two games of basketball with brothers & friends (sorry again about the bloody nose, Todd)
--going to the cabin w/ Dad and Dan to turn heat on for our planned Christmas Eve trip - the deep snow, sunshine (although very cold), and mountains were absolutely stunning
--BYU winning the Las Vegas Bowl on a miracle (fluke?) blocked field goal with no time remaining
--Dan & Hailey's baby blessing of Preston, and the food at the Leishman's
--birthday dinner at the LeBras and seeing that side of the family for the first time
--Alvin & the Chipmunks movie with the kids and some cousins
--wrapping a billion Christmas gifts
--a great Christmas Eve at the Richards with everyone there except Dave & Meredith (in the hospital delivering baby) and Nate & Jenny - great food!
--helping Santa get ready for Christmas morning
--Christmas morning at the Whatcotts where everyone seemed to get the perfect gifts with no sadness or jealousy or spoiling
--traditional Christmas dinner at the LeBras
--Guitar Hero III for most of Christmas day
--lunch at the BYU Creamery and buying the last five bags of the best licorice bites known to man (Switzers)
--going on a movie date w/ Angela (tried to see I Am Legend but thanks to all the good shows being sold out we were stuck with P.S. I Love You...just kidding Ang, I really wanted to see that one...)
--skiing at Sundance two days in a row - kids ski school on Thursday allowed Ang and I to adult ski with Cameron - great!!!
--tubing at Soldier Hollow w/ Spencer & Molly and the Masons - fun but freaking cold! (car thermometer said 4 degrees when we left at 6pm)
--the kids having their individual time with Anne and Nathalie
--visiting Dave and Meredith and their new baby Beatrice, aka "Baby Bea"
--The Waterhorse movie with Grandpa and Grandma and cousins
--church at the "Apostle" ward on Sunday
--visiting Temple Square and taking a tour of the Conference Center
--visiting East High School, my former stomping grounds and site of High School Musical (may have been the highlight of the trip for our very excited girls)
--visiting houses where I grew up to show the kids
--Hires with G&G, Matt & Rebecca, Todd & Rosie
--New Year's Eve extravaganza at the Whatcotts - serious food, Guitar Hero to the death, and lots of friends and family
--Cheesecake Factory lunch with the LeBras before riding (driving) off into the sunset
--setting yet another new landspeed driving time record with a stunning time of 10 hours and 45 minutes door to door
--coming home to a warm house and milk in the fridge thanks to Uncle Dan, who's visiting us for a few days and his flight beat our drive.
--AND ABOVE ALL, THE TIME WE SPENT WITH COUSINS, AUNTS & UNCLES, AND GRANDPARENTS

And the things we didn't enjoy:

--Brigham throwing up more than 10 times on Christmas Eve and sporadically thereafter for the next week
--changing the sheets roughly 6 times because of throw up and other unhappy bodily fluids from our little guy
--missing the cabin trip due to Brig's sickness and the two feet of snow falling in the mountains on Christmas Eve
--leaving

So there you have it. We're happy to be home, but already missing our families. The thing is though, this really is home to us - we felt it as we drew closer, and as we walked through the door to our little place - this is where we belong ... for now.

1 comment:

Rosie said...: Hey, we miss you guys already. Todd says to forget about the bloody nose business . Hey don't forget to check out our blog now that you know about it... www.groesbeckfamily.blogspot.com. Love ya!

Actually, John i want you to NOT forget about that stray elbow. I want it to fester up in your mind, going over and over it until you have no choice but to leave me all alone next time we play... UNTIL THEN! Seriously, now i'm feeling bad that that made it into your blog. Hey we're really looking forward to your next visit and for now we hope you guys enjoy all of your free "google-food". Todd; January 4, 2008 at 8:30 PM

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Another Successful Trip to End '07 and Start '08

1 comment:

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