j . a . m . k . m . b: The Prodigal Blogger Returns

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, August 10, 2009

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

It seems like weeks and weeks since my last blog update. Probably because it has been... A big part of that was the fact that I was mostly offline for the past couple of weeks on vacation in Utah. No, it's not that they don't have the Internet there, it's just that we were either entrenched in the mountains, or not in front of a computer by choice.

The theme of this year's vacation was definitely family. I'm sure our few remaining Utah friends will send us dirty looks and virtual daggers for not stopping by when we were in town, but literally, we were wall to wall family time this trip. My entire family was in town for a big reunion and it the first time we'd all been together in ages. We gathered from California, Pennsylvania, Washington, Oregon, and Utah. We also had good times with Angela's family as everyone was gathered on that side too.

It's tough to list all of the fun things we did, but my style is usually to just make a big old list of all the highlights:

-plenty of swimming at the local pool
-hanging out with family on both sides
-great food the entire two weeks
-fishing trip with the young sons into the Uintas, and actually catching a bunch of fish
-movie night for the kids with a projection screen in the back yard
-fitting our whole family in the cabin
-lots of bike rides with brothers
-temple sealings with the adults
-Ice Age II with Grandpa and Grandma
-golf with Dad and Nate, and then again with all the brothers and Dad
-tennis with the kids
-camping at Flaming Gorge
-river rafting the Green River, including numerous water fights and "accidental" push-ins
-cliff jumping! (this was perhaps my personal highlight - 50 ft was my best jump)
-our own little family's fun vacation dinner at Magleby's
-the shower after camping
-finally sleeping in a bed on the 10th night of our trip
-Seven Peaks water park with the kids and cousins
-another personal highlight - the ULCER 108 mile bike ride with Dave and MattMax (Anne and Brandon too, but we missed each other)

I've probably missed some fun and important things, but you get the picture - lots of fun, lots of family, and a great vacation.

I'll try to post more often now that things are relatively back to normal now. We're looking forward to finishing off summer of the next week or so, and I'll tell you what else is on the horizon soon.

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Monday, August 10, 2009

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

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