We had a really fun family activity last night. We spread out a picnic blanket on the floor of the TV room, added plastic place mats, and feasted on grilled pork chops, gnocchi, broccoli, and chips & salsa while we watched the Giants win the NLCS. We all cheered loudly as the Giants made good plays, groaned when they didn't, and were pleasantly surprised when they won to clinch a berth in the World Series. The kids (and Angela) had a lot of questions about baseball, and Morgan at times was more interested in stretching and doing ballet moves than watching baseball, but we still had a great time. It was a fun family-together night and even better because the Giants won.
It's raining and gray. We've actually had to turn the heat on in the house as the inside temperature has been hovering in the low 60s because of the cool humidity outside. Fortunately this last week was good though. I had a big Finance offsite down in Carmel, where they put us up at a very nice resort, and we had our choice of Thursday activities before a nice dinner and party that night. I chose golf, of course, and enjoyed playing a very nice course in a beautiful valley ... for free. I had a good time seeing lots of old work friends that I haven't seen in quite a while, and being in a non-work environment. At breakfast the next morning I can tell you I was very glad I don't drink alcohol. Everyone else at the table looked hung over and definitely worse for the wear. It made me smile thinking of the freedom our values actually create, rather than the restrictions.
Micah led our ward's entire Young Women in a song during sacrament meeting. Her leaders had asked her to teach the song to the group, and then to lead it when they sang. It was beautiful, and we were proud of the way she stepped up and took it seriously. Her leaders also commented that they were impressed with her confidence in teaching the song and leading much older girls.
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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."
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4 comments:
Boo Giants!
We're in mourning out here in Philly.
Boo Giants!
We're in mourning out here in Philly.
Boo Giants!
We're in mourning out here in Philly.
Whoa, didn't mean to post 3 times! Guess you know how strongly we feel!
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