j . a . m . k . m . b: Sports stuff

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."

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Sports stuff

I was very happy to see the Phillies beat the Dodgers last night in the NLCS. I will say Philly is one of the three or four teams I follow semi-regularly, but I cannot be considered a true fan. I'm happy for Nate and Dan, because it's their hometown team, and I like a few players on the team: Utley, Howard, Victorino, but it was as much about seeing LA lose as anything else. I guess it makes me happy when any LA team loses, mostly because of the fans.

I'm also happy that the Tampa Bay Rays are going to beat the Red Sox in the ALCS. Not sure if it will happen tonight, but certain it will happen. It's awesome to see a team go from dead last the previous year, to playing in the World Series this year. Also, very cool that this team outta nowhere gave it to the big name teams in its division - Boston and the Yankees.

OK, enough baseball. It's GAMEDAY baby! The Cougs take on a very tough and motivated TCU team tonight, live and in color, from Dallas/Fort Worth. This is the stiffest test the Cougs will have faced so far this season. I honestly have no idea how the game will go, but I will say this: over the course of the game, our defense will be better than their offense (mostly running team), and our offense will be better than their defense. Things like turnovers and penalties could really hurt us, but if we can limit our mistakes, and be patient with our gameplan, I don't think they can consistently stop us on offense over the whole game, and I don't think they can run on us effectively enough to win the game. So yes, I'm predicting a Cougar victory, although this one will be ugly at times. Should be fun to watch (I hope).

And then this weekend, #1 ranked Texas hosts #11 ranked Missouri on ABC at 8pm Eastern. This is a huge game for the Horns as it will serve to validate what they did to Oklahomie last week, and it will cement their place on top of the rankings. Might I add, it's quite a treat to have both schools that I attended and follow passionately ranked in the top 10! I imagine that's a fairly unique dynamic.

Finally, as with every other year, it feels strange when the NBA and NHL start up with baseball still rolling, and my mind fully footballized.