j . a . m . k . m . b: The 4th

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, July 6, 2011

The 4th

We had an awesome 4th of July holiday weekend. It was the perfect mix of everything good ... fun family time with both sides of the family (BBQ with my family, Sunday dinner w/ Angela's family), lots of great friend time (Thai dinner and outdoor concert date with the Mitchells, ,

It started off with a great Friday night date with our friends the Mitchells. We went to Thai food and then to the outdoor rooftop concert in downtown Provo, which was a lot of local artists singing Beatles songs (quite well I might add). Saturday morning was early for us all as we picked up Micah and Maddie Healey from EFY at 7am, and then we went over to watch all the hot air balloons launch for the Freedom Festival in Provo. Our favorite for sure was the Darth Vader balloon! I guess as you can see in the photo, it's also true that pigs can fly... After seeing the balloons we all went to all-you-can-eat french toast (with the killer buttermilk syrup) at Magleby's Fresh. We sort of broke the rules a little bit by accidentally ordering too much food and having to take it with us rather than waste it.

There's nothing like a bike ride on a full stomach, so I immediately headed out after breakfast on a great 40 mile ride up Hobble Creek Canyon. I wanted to check out the lodge where we'll be staying for our Richards family reunion later this month, so I rode up there. Should be really fun. In the afternoon we did some projects around the house - I painted Micah's bed, we unpacked more boxes, set up a desk in our office, and I think I caught a few ZZZ's on the couch while watching Stage 1 of the Tour de France.

Evening was awesome. We headed to my parents for a super fun BBQ with all of our family who's in town. The food was spectacular (especially the ginormous hot dogs and the Day's Market donuts we brought), everyone was happy, and it was fun to catch up with all the brothers. There was a huge firework display at Eaglewood golf course, but we wanted to come back and see the Stadium of Fire show in Provo with our friends, so we left just in time to miss the traffic but still make it to Provo in time to sit with our great friends the Neymans and Davis's on their driveway and watch the firework display. We were SO happy to not have to drive in traffic afterwards but just be able to walk around the corner and be home.

On Sunday Ang and I got set apart for my our new callings - Ang is Activity Days leader, and I'm in the YM Presidency over the Deacons. We're both excited about the callings and happy to be working with young people. Sunday dinner was at the LeBras' where we enjoyed good food and hanging out for a while with family. That evening we went over to Kiwanis Park to help set up the finish line area for Monday's Freedom Run races, our friends are in charge of it so we wanted to help them out.

Monday morning saw Ang and me running the Freedom Run 10K. I was having stomach problems throughout the night - maybe the chicken curry from Sunday dinner? - and that discomfort unfortunately carried on throughout the race. It was still fun though, and we're glad we did it. We collected the kids and then met all our friends down at the parade, where we were amazed at how big the parade was. It was fun to see, and we were grateful for the huge trees that kept us shaded, not to mention the Davis's business office that provided bathrooms and soft chairs when needed. The BBQ afterwards was really fun, and also another great way to miss all the traffic. Later on Spencer and Molly's family came down to see our house and hang out with us for the evening, which included some swimming at the neighbors and JCW's burgers and shakes. That evening was Culdesac of Fire, where the whole neighborhood gathered - in the rain as it turns out - to eat desserts and watch people light off newly legal big fireworks in the street.

And then it was back to work on Tuesday ...

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

The 4th

No comments:

Important Links

Blog Archive