j . a . m . k . m . b: Great, Busy Weekend

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."

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Great, Busy Weekend

Hey all, we had a seriously great weekend (I know, it's now Wednesday and I'm just getting around to catching you up...).

We had both sets of grandparents, plus Katie-bug, join us for the whole weekend, and we had a really nice time. It started with Dad, Brig, and I going down to Camp Lehi in the Santa Cruz mountains

for our stake Fathers & Sons campout. Brig was in serious heaven - there were friends to run around with, sticks to collect, fire to play with, hot dogs and marshmallows to roast/burn, and he could get as dirty as he wanted. We loved having Grandpa there with us, and I'm sure Brig will remember that for a long time. One particularly funny moment came when I was helping Brig go to the bathroom in the trees. Angela has been teaching him the anatomically correct names for body parts so he can be mature about them, and he's most of the way there, as evidenced by him asking me to help hold his "peanuts" up so he didn't go peeps on his pants & shoes. Classic.

The whole reason for the family visitors was for Morgan's baptism.

It was so special, and such a sweet time for our family. Morgan was so prepared, as she had led and inspired weeks worth of FHE lessons in preparation for the actual baptism. We had quite a few nice friends come support us, including her non-member school teacher, and one of Angela's close non-member friends on her school board. We're so grateful for wonderful friends. As it turns out, even though it was the third baptism for our family, we still forgot some important items. You'd think we'd remember that we needed to bring towels with us, since we believe in this funny thing called baptism by immersion... but nope, no towels. It occurred to me as I

remembered a towel I always keep in the trunk of my car, that we had the exact same quandary with Kennan's baptism, and used the exact same towel that time too - well, at least we're consistent. Highlights of the baptism were Angela's testimony, Kennan's Holy Ghost talk, and Grandma Richards' baptism talk. We had a big gathering at our house afterwards and, thanks again to so many wonderful friends, we had a beautiful spread and too much to eat.

We also got to support Kennan and Morgan in their school play, Willy Wonka. Kennan was Willy himself, and Morgan was a very precocious Veruca Salt. I have to tell you, Micah didn't get all the acting and singing talent in the family - the girls were absolutely incredible! I'm so proud of both of them, particularly Kennan because she memorized so many lines, acted beautifully, and sang confidently as a real focus of the show.

And finally, I got a new calling on Sunday. I've been called as the Ward Mission Leader in our ward. I have to admit I have mixed feelings about the calling, since I was sort of under the impression I would get more than a week break from my last calling. But I'll do my best and hope we continue to have good missionaries who work hard and teach with the spirit. I guess it's back to PEC meeting before church (hmmm)...

My knee continues to get a little stronger and more flexible all the time. It's definitely not pain free, but I'm pretty active, and the physical therapy seems to be making a positive difference. I'm sort of in this period right now where I feel like it should be getting better faster than it is (like no pain), but I have to remind myself that it takes time and weeks/months.

Finally, as we round out the school year - the kids are literally counting down the number of school days left (16 as of this morning) - I'll post our summer travel schedule in the near future.

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Great, Busy Weekend

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