j . a . m . k . m . b: Go DAN!!! and the Dream phone

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, January 8, 2009

Go DAN!!! and the Dream phone

Right about now, Dan is finishing up his last interview at a well-known Bay Area company for a job when he graduates this summer. It was fun to have him come by and visit me last night at work, and we ate dinner in what he described as a "weird" experience to be back at Google after his internship. We really hope he does well in the interview, and that the company makes the right choice and gives him the job. It would be awesome to have he and Hailey join us full-time out here.

Our Christmas bonus this year was a G1 Dream phone, the cool

phone with a Google Android operating system on it. After having spent a few hours messing around with it the last three weeks, I have a few observations.

It's really cool, but it's main problem is it's always going to be compared to the iPhone, which is much sleeker and lighter. I do like the fact that it comes with a full keyboard, which is why it is heavy and big, but even that takes some getting used to for someone used to typing on the Blackberry keyboard. I like the touchscreen a lot. It is just responsive enough, and I like how you can build up momentum on the slides if you want to move quickly through screens.

The most adicting thing about the phone so far has been the Apps Market, where you can go and browse hundreds of apps to download (all free at the moment). The apps are pretty wild, including some you'd never think of but they could come in handy. For instance, there's an app that allows you to send a text to your phone, at which time the phone turns on, turns the volume up, and alerts you where it is. There's another one where you scan a barcode of a product, and then you can either automatically search for that product to buy online, or you can locate the 10 nearest stores that have that product, and compare prices to get the best deal. Another app will listen to a song playing anywhere in the vicinity (car radio, etc.), identify the song and artist, and take you to either download sites (Amazon) or video sites (YouTube)...that's pretty cool. I downloaded the scriptures, which came in handy last night at family scripture study; I of course downloaded a sports scoreboard application; and then there's the games. I find myself playing Sudoku, Bonsai Blast, or Slide Puzzle when I have downtime (or throne time) - I'm actually getting better at them and they can be addicting. Anyway, it's fun to have.

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Go DAN!!! and the Dream phone

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