j . a . m . k . m . b: Happy Birthday Brig!!! ... and other 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."

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Happy Birthday Brig!!! ... and other stuff

Brig turns 5 years old today. I know I've said this before - probably most of our kids' birthdays - but he already seemed pretty old to me so it's actually a little weird he's only turning 5. He doesn't know this yet, but he's going to be getting a brand new bike, which I put together in the basement last night. He's going to be super psyched. He's such a good kid, and we love him like crazy. I love it when we hang out and do stuff together - he's definitely my little buddy.

Morgan came home and announced that she took 2nd place among the girls in her class 1/2 mile run at school. It wasn't until later that I learned she ran it in her Ugg boots... she said she forgot they had P.E. that day, so she didn't wear good shoes. It makes me laugh to think of her running around the track in big furry boots. Wonder how she would've done in flip flops...

This Saturday we're loading up the car and heading home to California for Spring Break. Everyone's very excited to see friends, and to be back in sunny CA. We've been fortunate to see some CA friends in the few months since we moved to UT, but it'll be great to spend more time with many of them and renew our friendships.

And speaking of friendships, when we were at Conference on Saturday morning, we ran into the Smiths - our very best friends from Texas! It was so amazing to see them, and we arranged to meet up with them on Monday evening as well. Great to catch up - it was just like picking up where we'd left off. We're so grateful for amazing friends all around the country.

House update: base layer of stucco is up on the outside of the house, sheetrock is completely hung and they're just mudding and taping today. Some neighbors went way above and beyond the call of duty to help me for 11 hours on Saturday (much of which I wasn't even there for) to run tubing and wiring for a central vac system we decided at the last minute to put in. I'm actually looking forward to being out of town for a few days so lots will happen between visits to the lot. One thing we worry a bit about though is just being there to catch small slip-ups. We've already caught a few, like they put our sliding back door in backwards, and they put arches in where they weren't supposed to go (big no-no for Angela), and a couple of other small things. They're doing a great job, but moving so fast that things are bound to get jumbled.

1 comment:

Meredith said...: Love the comment on Morgan running around in Ugg boots! Hilarious! And she still got second! What a champ!; April 7, 2011 at 2:50 PM

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Happy Birthday Brig!!! ... and other stuff

1 comment:

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