j . a . m . k . m . b: Hello? Anybody home?

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, January 5, 2010

Hello? Anybody home?

Aaaannnnd, I'm back... Pretty long layoff, but I've been thinking of all sorts of fun things to update you on, so the next few posts will probably seem fairly scattered and random.

I looked out the window at 5:02pm today, and was very pleased and surprised to see how light it was. It seems like I sort of jumped from mid December when I was just waiting, waiting, waiting for 12/21 (shortest day of the year), and then next thing I know, the days are legitimately getting longer! Very happy about that!

OK, so we had a really nice Christmas trip to Utah. Our families gave us the royal treatment, and our only regret was that it is always so difficult to give ample time to each family and sub family. Thanks everyone for you patience with us, and we were very grateful for the times we had to spend with each of you.

We loved many things during the holiday break: skiing on soft, new snow (Solitude and Sundance); snowmobiling at the cabin; Christmas Eve and morning with the Richards; Christmas Day with the LeBras; basketball with the brothers; ice skating was actually very fun this year thanks to the "granny walkers" the rink has for the young kids; Wii games galore; lots of great food; Christine and Cameron's new baby; having a bed this time to sleep on; playing with cousins; movies (The Blind Side, Invictus, Alvin & the Chipmunks Squeakquel, Princess and the Frog); bowling; New Years at Matt's house; .... ok, I'm realizing I could go on and on, but great time!

And here's the thing with New Years - if you and everyone around you end up going to bed before midnight on New Years Eve, I've realized that you never really feel like the old year turned over to the new year. So since we did just that - all knocked out in the 11pm hour - I'm walking around still stuck in 2009, while all the party animals have moved on to 2010.

That's enough for now - there's more to write about a bunch of stuff, but that'll just give me more ammo for next time...

1 comment:

Whatcott said...: Oh how we wish you guys lived closer so things weren't such a whirlwind when you come. THANK YOU, THANK YOU for being here for us during our "unexpected" time of need. You and Angela are amazing parents and doing such a great job with your kids. I'm so glad we have you both as examples and we ADORE your kids too. Good luck getting back into the grind of things. Hope to see you in FEBRUARY???; January 5, 2010 at 9:03 PM

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Hello? Anybody home?

1 comment:

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