j . a . m . k . m . b: Saturday's race

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, April 30, 2009

Saturday's race

With all the talk of swine flu and other sicknesses floating around, I've been super paranoid about getting sick just a few days before my big race. The race for me is going to be the culmination of a LOT of exercise hours over the last four or five months. I'm very excited, and quite nervous.

It's the Napa Valley Vintage 1/2 Ironman Triathlon. All triathlons are basically the same, in that you swim, then you bike, then you run. What differs is the distances of each leg. The shortest distance (other than your neighborhood kids n' mom's triathlon) is a Sprint distance, and the longest is an Ironman. The 1/2 Ironman is the second longest distance, and it consists of a 1.2 mile swim, followed by a 56 mile bike, and then a 13.1 mile run (half marathon...). While I feel very confident in my ability to do any of those activities in and of themselves, I'm significantly less confident in my ability to put them all together back to back. So my two goals for the race: Finish, and try not to finish dead last. That's it.

The forecast is for rain on race day, which will present some interesting challenges, particularly on the bike. It's never fun to ride a bike in the rain as it's cold, the road gets slick, it's hard to see, and you get really grimy from all the dirt and grease flicked up from the wet road. But honestly, I'm going to be hurting anyway, so at this point I don't really care what the weather does.

Angela's coming up with me, and we'll leave the kids at our friends' for the night and that day. It'll be fun to have her there supporting me - even though it might be a long wet day for her too.

So I'll let you know next week how it goes. And by the way, happy birthday to Dave today - wish I could be there to give you a big wet birthday kiss!