j . a . m . k . m . b: Sports stuff

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, September 27, 2010

Sports stuff

Let me sum it up for you: The sport I love most is less appealing to me than ever, and the sport I rarely care about has captured my complete attention. That happens when "your" team is either good or bad.

Major League Baseball - or more specifically, the SF Giants: I like the Giants. I've liked the Giants ever since Barry Bonds left. They're a scrappy team with great pitching, a sweet ballpark, cool caps, great alternative Friday-night old school pumpkin orange jerseys, but they usually can't hit, and they can't score runs. I listen to games all the time on my way home from work, or maybe catch an at-bat or two on TV after the kids go to bed, but until this year, I have not been very focused on seeing them play unless I was sitting at the ballpark with a Brat in hand. This year has changed that as they've proved to be good enough to challenge for a division pennant, and a spot in the playoffs. That hasn't happened in a lot of years, and it's pretty exciting - even to the point that I'll actually sit down and watch near-complete games, or at least large portions of games, and really care if the Giants win. Six games to go, and they're currently leading their division --- PLEASE tell me I didn't just jinx their chances!!!!!
BYU Football and College Football in general: This is by far my favorite sport and team. This also makes it by far the most frustrating when they stink up the joint. I know, I know, they had moments where they looked good in a couple of their recent losses, but still... It's not that I'm spitting mad, it's more that I care a lot less now that they're ordinary. I'm definitely not a fair weather fan - I still watch and agonize - but I've realized I care less about it with all the uncertainty around how good they are, how they'll do on any given Saturday, what the nation thinks about them, etc. Not worth worrying about right now. And to have Texas play terribly last Saturday just sort of killed my other football team cheering motivation too. Uggh.
NFL Football: I actually care about the SF 49ers because it's my local team, and I love football, period. But they're just downright bad - at least they've played that way this season. Today they just fired their Offensive Coordinator, which usually means a tough year ahead. The normally staunch defense has been swiss cheese, so they really have no chance because their QB stinks.
Utah Jazz: and somewhere in the middle is usually the NBA. I'm actually pretty interested in the start of this season because of the new players the Jazz picked up, and the new good feelings that seem to be floating around the team with the changes. Problem is, they're not even my hometown team, so it feels a little funny calling myself a "Jazz fan". I don't know, do I still qualify if I don't actually see that many games during the season?

1 comment:

Sam said...: You gotta love the Giants. I grew up as a HUGE Giants fan. I could listen to KNBR in Salt Lake City at night (only at night, I guess because of the sound waves traveling better at night) and would go to sleep every night listening to them play.

We would also try and make a trip out to SF every year to catch a few games...or out to Arizona to watch some Spring training ball. Good times and I am jealous you get to go pretty much whenever you want.; September 28, 2010 at 2:08 PM

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Monday, September 27, 2010

Sports stuff

1 comment:

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