j . a . m . k . m . b: A new week

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, September 8, 2008

A new week

OK, so I got a little lazy last week in not posting since Tuesday. Maybe not so much lazy as just a bit too busy to spend time on a quality post, and I don't want to bore you with anything less than my best. I'll see if things can go a little better this week, or at least set my sights a little lower.

We had a pretty good weekend. Kennan did well in her soccer game, even though it was very hot and the games at her new Under-10 level are longer than she's used to. She's one of the smallest players on the field, but she runs well and is particularly good at defense. Kennan also had a fun trip to San Francisco in a stretch limo with her friend's family for a swanky work party that was going to include a bunch of fun kid activities. You should have seen all the kids when the limo pulled up to our house...

Micah tried out for another PYT play, The Sound of Music, and got call backs for a couple of parts. She's excited, and we're happy that she's doing well in something she loves. The try-outs took hours, and Angela was nice to stay the whole time in support.

We have two neighborhood friends with swimming pools who have been kind in offering to have our kids come swim. So we got in some good swim time on Friday and Saturday, which felt good in the heat.

Brig continues to potty train, and he's pretty much perfect now at not having accidents in his undies during the days. We haven't tried the night-time undies yet because he's hit and miss with wet vs. dry diapers. He loves to pee on the grass, and will stand there and swivel his hips as he goes with a big smile on his face.

Ang and I met some close BYU friends up in SF for a fun evening and dinner on Saturday night. It was really enjoyable to go up there and drive around, and then we ate at a nice Thai restaurant called Koh Samui and the Monkey. Great food, and awesome to see our old friends.

I watched the BYU vs. Washington game. I thought both teams played very well at times, and despite our outgaining them, our turnovers made it a closer game than it should have been. You've probably seen the controversy at the end of the game splashed all over ESPN, but I don't care - a win's a good win, especially on the road to a PAC 10 team. Texas also looked dominating against UTEP on Saturday night.

We also had some new/good friends over for a BBQ Sunday evening. We've only recently gotten to know them better, and it's fun because the wife is someone I hung out with in Jr. High. We had a great time with them, and we're now bummed because they're putting their house up for sale and moving back east for his job in NY. Ang is particularly sad because Melissa is her marathon training buddy this year.

We've had a ton of BBQs at our house lately, which is fun. I've also gotten quite good at marinating and cooking chicken and pork chops. Because I've now done it time and time again, I know just how hot to make the grill, and how long to leave the meat on. Maybe it's time to graduate to steaks, right Sam?

Angela and I fasted for our Provo house yesterday, and we were both grateful for the opportunity to do so. I'm not what you would call the world's greatest faster, but I stayed strong and focused the whole day. It felt good to be doing something good that will surely help us fulfill our righteous desires. Depending on how some things work out, I'll share more about this later.

Have a great week.

1 comment:

samandbrodi said...: You need to graduate to the steaks...with that said, I can't cook chicken if my life depended on it. You teach me how to cook up chicken and I'll teach you how to cook up a rockin' ribeye.

That Y-Washington game was wild. BYU was the better team that day even with all of the confusion at the end.; September 8, 2008 at 9:12 PM

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Monday, September 8, 2008

A new week

1 comment:

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