j . a . m . k . m . b: And the winner is...

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

And the winner is...

You already know what it's going to be - how could you not? Every single person with any interest in the rivalry knows all about this one, for better or worse.

Caught for the Touchdown!! Caught for the Touchdown!!

2006, back and forth game, amazing plays by Harline, blah blah blah. Let's cut to the chase... Utah takes the lead, 31-27, with 1:19 remaining on the clock. I think it was Brent Casteel who caught it, and I think I hate him, wait, I know I hate him. He was busy bowing to the crowd while BYU's offense was preparing itself for possibly the greatest drive in recent BYU history. 84 yards to glory. A few key plays that I can replay in my head from memory: a key pass to Bryce Mahuika where he had the first down, then gave up ground, then dove forward to regain a critical first down. Curtis Brown catching a short dump off pass and breaking a tackle to get to the sideline and stop the clock. A fourth down conversion to Jonny Harline that was vintage Beck - patience, consistency, laser throw. A beautiful pass into coverage to freshman McKay Jacobsen to set the team up on the 14 yard line where they eventually ended up with 3 seconds left in the game. So it all comes down to one final play (I'm hyperventilating ... hold on a second). The Utes rushed two linemen and dropped 9 players into zone coverage. Beck went through his reads quickly, but of course nobody was open. He drifted to the left, directing traffic with his left hand, trying to keep his receivers moving. He had all day, but eventually one of the Utah linebackers, #44 to be exact, had had enough and rushed at Beck. At the last second Beck darted right to avoid 44, and as he ran to the right, the entire flow of the defense followed him. The TV also followed him, so we couldn't really see what was going on in the endzone. As he was running right, he also took pressure from one of the D-linemen, and just as he was about to get hit by the big guy, he whipped the ball all the way back to his left, across his body (that's hard to do), and the entire world stopped rotating while the ball hung in the air... Jonny Harline, slid to his knees (hence the "Answered Prayer" moniker), all alone in the endzone, and cradled the winning touchdown. Two things happened at that point. I jumped and screamed so loud that Brig thought the world had come to an end, and I also banged my hand very hard on the ceiling (which would hurt much later, but not even noticed at this point). Sheer pandemonium on the BYU side, shocked disbelief on the Utah side. Whittingham looked like he was going to cry, Mendenhall started jumping around, and the replay ran over and over at our house for the next 6 months.

For an AMAZING first-hand account from John

Beck, follow this link:

http://deepshadesofblue.com/john-becks-account-of-the-final-2006-drive/

Also, these YouTube videos are fantastic (I recommend Kleenex and a sound-proof room):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioPt9D90Lx4&feature=rec-HM-fresh+div

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKQm9-fwlO8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OFf7vqzcSk

GO COUGARS!!!!!!

2 comments:

samandbrodi said...: I have officially blocked that game out of my memory. In fact, it is so out of my memory that I don't believe anything of what you just wrote.

Should be a fabulous game today.; November 22, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Sheri said...: I just looked on your blog and saw "and the winner is..." and I expected the answer to be "THE UTES!" I guess you need to fix your blog:).; November 23, 2008 at 5:21 PM

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Friday, November 21, 2008

And the winner is...

2 comments:

Important Links

Blog Archive