j . a . m . k . m . b: Grateful for Family

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, November 10, 2008

Grateful for Family

It was very rewarding to spend time with much of our family over the weekend as we attended Anne's wedding in Utah. We had everyone from the LeBras side together for most of the weekend, and we even got to drop in on the Richards for an awesome lunch with Matt, Spencer, and Dave's families. Overall for the weekend, we ate too much good food, we enjoyed hours of catching up and good family time, and we took a lot of pictures (ugh). Congratulations Anne and Brandon!

One interesting thing that came out of our trip to Utah is rather than getting our fix of family, it really just gave us a taste and made us realize we should probably go for Christmas (yes, this has been up in the air). I won't say the decision is final yet, but there's a good chance we'll be packing up and making the snowy trek East at some point this holiday season.

I got a call from Delta airlines this morning saying they had one of our bags containing our video camera and digital camera. Interestingly enough, we didn't even realize we had left it... I guess when you travel with four kids, and some of the family is in panic bathroom mode when the flight lands, it's easy to leave items behind. We're very glad we put our name on the bag (I distinctly remember telling Angela, "you don't have to put our name on that, we'll have it with us the whole time"... good thing she doesn't listen to me!), and that the airline found it and not someone else. We would've really been scratching our heads when Micah's play rolls around this weekend wondering where our camera is.

And randomly, we finally got around to watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and I think it's quite possibly the WORST movie I have ever seen. I fell asleep during it, and I NEVER fall asleep watching movies. Don't rent it, don't borrow it, don't even talk about it - it's that bad.

2 comments:

samandbrodi said...: That Crystal Skull movie, oh man. I watched it on Delta and I turned it off after 40 minutes because it was boring and predictably bad. Kinda sad to see an Indiana Jones movie that would make you want to turn it off...sorta like the newer Star Wars movies. Oh well.; November 10, 2008 at 8:02 PM
Matt and Becca said...: We're sad we didn't get to see you guys! I'm glad you had a great whirlwind trip though.

About Indiana...we totally agree! We absolutely hated it. Seriously, aliens and space ships??? I just heard that it's been nominated for a People's Choice Award--against Iron Man and Dark Knight. Yeah right! Good luck with that one!; November 11, 2008 at 1:41 PM

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Monday, November 10, 2008

Grateful for Family

2 comments:

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