j . a . m . k . m . b: #3

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, November 21, 2008

#3

For those of you who don't care about the BYU-Utah game, or have more important things going on in your lives, thanks for your patience with me as I indulge myself in this unique week. There's not a lot of "family" packed into these blog posts, but I promise I'll swing back the other way after this week.

Magic Happens

Austin Collie's taken a beating in the media for his comments along the lines of "if you're living right on and off the field ... magic happens". Good for him for saying what he believes. And good for him for helping BYU win a thrilling rivalry game just last year. A newspaper story started out with the line: "For BYU, it was fourth down and 18, but it might as well have been fourth-and-hopeless." That was the situation for BYU with a little more than a minute to play, ball sitting at their own 12 yard line, down 10-9 to the hated Utes, Max Hall playing with a sprained shoulder, and zero momentum. Max took the snap, stepped up in the pocket, slid to the right and found some running room, and uncorked a long throw down the sideline to a wide open Austin Collie. How Collie got that wide open I have no idea, but my guess is the defense was guarding the first down line, and he ran right past it. A 49 yard completion to Collie, and the Cougs were back in business. I remember thinking "we better get closer because our field goal kicking has been spotty at best this year", so by no means did I think it was over. The next play was a pass down the sideline to Dennis Pitta, and in typical Utah fashion, the DB unloaded on Pitta's head well after the ball had sailed out of bounds...15 yard penalty. After a couple more plays it came down to a run to try and set up the field goal team with about 30 seconds left, but Harvey Unga was having none of this field goal business. He went off right tackle, cut back hard, ran over "The Mouth" - safety/loser Steve Tate, and found himself standing alone in the endzone holding the ball and the win in his hands.