j . a . m . k . m . b: Full Weekend

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, May 5, 2008

Full Weekend

Busy weekend, but a lot of fun.

Kennan and Morgan were both in Friday and Saturday night school productions of The Sound of Music. Kennan, who played Marta, did a great job with speaking and singing parts; and Morgan was an excellent performer in the kindergarten chorus. I could tell watching both of them, whether zoomed in through the view finder on the video camera or from the back of the room with Brig, that they really loved what they were doing. We were really pleased for them to get that opportunity without Micah in the same play to steal their thunder.

Ang and I spent a few hours down in the basement on Saturday going through old boxes and things we've accumulated over the three years of living here, trying to decide what we really want to keep (and move). We erred on the side of "if we haven't opened that box since we moved last time, we pretty much can be sure we don't need it any more". So we took a load to goodwill, made a trash pile, and actually made some good progress in organizing what we are going to keep so as to be easier when the move comes.

We also took the kids to play tennis with our friends the Baughs. We mostly just hit around, and I was once again impressed with how well Kennan can hit the ball. Actually, the best part for me was riding their 11 year old son's rip stick (pictured). It's like a skate board, but instead of two wheels on each end, there's only one. You stay on it and propel yourself by weaving back and forth, similar to what you would see a surfer do. It took me a couple minutes, but before too long I had it down and was zooming around the outskirts of the tennis courts. Man was it fun! I want to get one for myself ... err, the kids.

After a lot of activities on Saturday, the kids were really worn down in the late afternoon and we needed to get them a rest before their play that night. They didn't really want to sleep, so in fun I said, "if you don't sleep, you won't be able to be Marta tonight, and I'll have to go do it for you." Kennan in a voice full of derision said, "Dad, you're not a good enough singer." and then Morgan piped in and said, "yeah, it's true." So there you go...I guess if you don't sound like Hannah Montana, you're not a good singer.

I watched the BYU rugby team play in the national semi-finals and finals over the weekend. They looked great on Friday against Colorado, but they got the big beat down by Cal on Saturday. It was still fun to hang with some old buddies, see some rugby, and get the opportunity to tell some obnoxious BYU fans to pipe down and stop embarrassing the rest of us. You know it was bad if you hear a Cal dad turn to his son and say quietly, "son, you can learn from this that just because you're losing, you shouldn't blame things on the ref, be rude, and act like that." I told him I agreed, and then at the next outburst I walked over and told the man (mid 50s probably) to shut up. Love the school, just not all the people... (Cue Matt D and Sam with their anti-Cougar venom...)

We also had a lot of friends in and out of our house this weekend. Micah has formed a really fun friendship with a relatively new girl in our ward, who also likes playing with the other kids (dream come true for them). We also met a neat new couple who came over to see our house, and who will likely end up living there when we move out. And we had a new family over for dinner last night that turned out to be really cool and we had a great time. We're blessed with many great friends and acquaintances out here that make our lives much better.

Now I better get to work...

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Monday, May 5, 2008

Full Weekend

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