j . a . m . k . m . b: couple of kid things

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 9, 2008

couple of kid things

Brig has been cracking us up lately with things he says, or tries to say. He calls Micah "Mahmike", but then I guess that's pretty good compared to "Dah" for the other two girls and "Dih" for himself. He got a basketball stand for Christmas, and he spends the majority of his time either walking around with arms full of balls from the overflowing ball basket in our front room, or shooting hoops (he calls it "shoot hoop"...loosely interpreted). He's so cute when he's a little tired or mellow, he'll say "ah yuv you", carefully pronouncing each word. Although he wasn't cute last night when he didn't sleep well and made sure we were awake with him.

Last Saturday Micah had an audition for the Peninsula Youth Theater's production of Peter Pan. It's a very popular community theater, and we are happy to support her in this. None of us had any idea of what to expect when she auditioned because there are so many kids who try out, and many of them are very talented. She sang "Castle in a Cloud" from Les Miserables (not my personal favorite, but she does it well) and she rehearsed her lines from when she was Violet in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She was pleased to find out that she got callbacks for both singing and acting, although not for dancing (we thought). The callbacks are this week, and we got a phone call Monday evening asking where Micah was because she missed her dance callback - Angela and Micah were shocked because it hadn't been written on the paper - so it turns out she got a callback in that too. Anyway, she's busy with the callbacks last night and tonight, and they just happen to coincide with dress rehearsals for her school play that starts tomorrow and runs through the weekend. All this acting and singing...wow.

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

couple of kid things

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