j . a . m . k . m . b: Normal 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."

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Normal stuff

Kennan's sick today with a fever and what looks like the start of a cold and cough. The kids are really good about not really wanting to stay home from school unnecessarily, so we know when they do stay home they're really not feeling well. She'll most likely read her book, watch a little TV, maybe get on the computer if she feels better, and she'll rest. Kennan recently had an appointment for us to learn about braces for her ... great, here we go.

Brig's found his 2-year old rebellious streak. He is cultivating such terms as "I don't have to!" and "NO, I WON'T!" when asked to do certain things. He's a headstrong little guy and it's not a great thing when he sets his mind to wanting something that he's not going to get. Oh well, he's still a cute kid and lots of fun to play with. He's also in a phase where he really just wants his Mom almost all the time, although I can get him out of that pretty easily by playing with him.

Angela's been busy lately. Aside from helping out with Micah's play, she's got meetings every week for the school and her duties there. She's started running/walking again now that her knee's feeling a bit better, and it makes her happy to get exercising. We cleaned out the garage a few weeks ago and it's now a very nice little exercise area with our treadmill set up, as well as my bike trainer. Now if only we could get cable hooked up out there... Ang went with some girlfriends to the Twilight movie over the weekend and even though she came back saying it was "ok", I think she secretly loved every minute of it.

Micah's sort of in a mode where she's not sure what to do with herself now that she's no longer got play stuff 24/7. She and I are looking forward to reading together over the break, and she's been catching up on sleep. Thankfully she's also found plenty of time to spend with her best friend over the course of the last few weeks so there's no real catching up to do there.

Morgan's really just doing her normal stuff. She still swims a couple times a week and she likes it, although it's tougher to get her out now that it's not summer-warm. She will probably stop during December, but hopefully will pick up again in the new year.

We all loved having Grandma and Papy visit for the weekend. They came to watch Micah's play, but we also enjoyed other things like lunch at In-N-Out, Madagascar 2 movie, Papy singing and playing piano with the girls, Vietnamese dinner, and just having them around.

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Normal stuff

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