j . a . m . k . m . b: Bracing for Weekend-O-Craziness

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."

Friday, October 24, 2008

Bracing for Weekend-O-Craziness

Hola, como esta?

Weekend comin, and in our case, you better buckle up.

We have the pleasure of paying back our good friends for their always-generous help by watching their three kids while they vacation for a much-needed few days of R&R. It'll be fun. What it does though, is it introduces more activities and requirements into the already full plan, and it will be interesting to see if we can actually get everyone in the right place, at the right time, and not forget anyone who needs picking up.

We have the kids' school walkathon, which will take up most of the day by itself. Shifts of us will be leaving intermittently for two different soccer games and two different sets of play practice. Once the walkathon winds up, it'll be deliver the kids to a practice for the sacrament meeting primary program (who knew this was such a big production?! Whatever happened to the days of get the kids up, sing a few songs, say a couple of funny little kid things, and then sit them back down?). Anyway, after the primary program practices it's the ward Trunk-r-treat, which will of course require us all to don costumes for this glorious event. That won't be hard for Brig, who's been in character as Peter Pan for roughly 7 days straight now. The rest of us are trying to work around his costume...Morgan's going to be Tiger Lilly, Kennan's going to be Wendy, I'm going to be John, and I'm not sure about the rest.

I'm sure we'll also carve pumpkins, catch a few minutes of football games if possible, and hopefully not lose anyone.

Speaking of Brig, he was at the pool the other day and a friendly kid came up to play with him. The kid said, "what's your name?" and Brig replied, "I'm PETER PAN" and then he did a flying leap into the pool. He's also going through a time where he really likes hanging out with his mom, but he wants to make sure his dad doesn't feel too bad. He's constantly saying stuff like, "I'm Mom's buddy AND Dad's buddy". That's ok, as long as he earns his scholarship.

Also, on Sunday afternoon I am flying to New York so I can work with the members of our team who are in that office for a few days. I of course am not thrilled about traveling on Sunday, but I needed to be there by Monday morning and I'm not really keen on taking a red-eye and then working a full day. I'll come back home on Thursday, so it's not too long of a trip. It should be really good to work with my team out there, and to meet most of them in person for the first time although we've already been on numerous video conferences and calls. So yeah, I guess I have to pack for that trip too, now that I think of it...

So as Brig says when he and I have scooter races around my car: "Gamark, Gaset, GO!!!"

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Friday, October 24, 2008

Bracing for Weekend-O-Craziness

No comments:

Important Links

Blog Archive