j . a . m . k . m . b: Foiled by Bishopric Visits

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, December 4, 2008

Foiled by Bishopric Visits

I have some personal goals in the area of fitness that I'm trying to reach. In order to achieve them, I've resolved that I need to eat better. So coming off of Thanksgiving weekend, I haven't eaten any sugar or sweets for a few days. It's mostly an issue at night because I realized I like to grab a few treatskies as the night winds down and I sit down to relax. I'm not going crazy with this, so don't get all Woodward and Bernstein if you see me indulging in something sweet and sinful, I just want to get into the mindset of not having sweets unless I really need them. And to be honest, I had visions of lasting until the Christmas holiday started, which would have been a good few weeks of self discipline. And then came last night. I was out with the Bishop doing our weekly visits, and this really nice couple offered us homemade goodies. Bishop readily accepted as my mind jumped into overdrive on how to decline without offending or making it a big deal, but before I knew it I was the center of attention with expectant eyes looking at me, and I caved. Not because I wanted the treat, but only (seriously) because I was in "duty" mode. So now, back on the horse today...

And on a separate topic, I finally broke down after nearly two years working at Google and scheduled a massage today. I've been exercising pretty regularly and my muscles have been feeling tight and a bit sore, so I thought it would be a good idea to use my free massage coupon from last year's birthday (yep, 358 days ago) before it expired next week. Let me tell you - whoever said massages are relaxing was flat out lying. I was in pain from the word 'go'... the lady who did it was obviously trained in the art of agony therapy, and believe me, it's impossible to relax when you're getting cranked on. The worst parts were my back muscles and my quads. When I played rugby at Texas, I sustained a deep thigh bruise right before a critical tournament. The coach sent me to a physical therapist for a deep tissue massage in which he proceeded to actually try and break up the deep bruise by force (child birth, shmild birth!). Today's experience was only a slight step below that forgetful experience. I'm going to be sore for a week.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: I forgot to wish you Happy Birthday! So Happy belated Birthday to you! Make sure to drink plenty of water after a massage. Massages help release all kinds of toxins etc.. from your muscles and the water helps move them along, from what I've been told. You must've gotten a deep tissue massage, swedish massages are much gentler. I got one on my honeymoon and it was great! Then they put me in steam room that was all white tile and I closed my eyes for a minute and breathed in the steam and when I opened them, I couldn't see a thing but white steam and it gave me clostrophobia and I had to feel the wall till I found the door to get outta there before I started freaking out! Seriously, a hot steamy room that you can't see anything but white is freaky!; December 5, 2008 at 2:09 PM

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Foiled by Bishopric Visits

1 comment:

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