j . a . m . k . m . b: Hello World!

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, December 15, 2010

Hello World!

What an amazing month we've had since I wrote last. There has already been so much change in our lives, it's been impossible to keep up on the blog. But I've been feeling an urgency to pick it back up, and to be more consistent with it, so that we can communicate all the great things in our lives with everyone.

So to recap some of the important background developments, you'll remember that I accepted a new job in Provo, UT. This set off the expected crazy string of events, the first of which was a short trip to Utah to look around for housing.

Angela had been spending a lot of time looking online for homes in Provo, Highland, and Alpine, so we were going to focus our search in those cities. But first we had to get there. We were already going to St George for a few days over Thanksgiving with Spencer and Molly's family, so we decided we would head to Provo for a couple days before since we were going to the state anyway. Problem was, there was a huge storm coming in on the weekend we had to travel, but because we only had a very limited window, and we felt it was important enough for us to house hunt, we decided to chance it and drive through the storm. The usual 11-12 hour trip turned into a 15+ hour trip thanks to a 2 hour stop before Tahoe since they close the roads, a major spin out in which it was a complete miracle we didn't plow into one of the many cars around us when we lost control (and that there was a tow truck 30 seconds behind us to pull us out), and multiple storms along the route that left us driving white-knuckled and slow. But we made it, and it could have been MUCH worse, so we were grateful.

The house hunting was fruitful, but not in the way Angela expected. We spent time driving around looking, and in the end she was really frustrated because she wasn't feeling good about things. I had liked an Ivory Homes development in Provo, but didn't talk much about it because there was lots left to see (it was the first stop of the day), and I didn't want to taint Angela's opinion by offering mine. By day's end she was frustrated, overwhelmed, and wishing we weren't moving. But it turns out that the seeds were planted - more to come later...

St George was a blast. Highlights included:

swimming and hot-tubbing at the outdoor pool every day despite the very cold temperatures
awesome red-rock hikes that the kids really loved, and got us all outside and exercising in a fun way
a fun visit to Grandma Gurr
taking the families to the movie Tangled (very good and fun)
taking the adults to the move Unstoppable (yes, my second time, but well worth it)
good meals, including a great home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner, as well as a visit to the St George Pizza & Pasta Factory, which was a huge hit (and we also saw some old friends there - Craig and Kay Ward)
motorcycle and scooter rides around the neighborhood with the kids
and an amazing round of golf with Spencer at the normally inaccessible private Entrada golf course

And after a great trip to St George, we then made it home in time for our annual 7-year tradition of going with all our awesome friends to the Los Altos Festival of Lights Parade. We will REALLY miss that tradition.

I'll stop there for now. Watch for more updates to come...

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Hello World!

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