j . a . m . k . m . b: St George Marathon

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, October 5, 2011

St George Marathon

Angela and I took ourselves down to St George last weekend and ran the marathon. It was so cool to see many old friends and family members who always seem to complete our STG experience. It just wouldn't be the same each year we go down if we couldn't count on seeing Matt & Sheri, Jason & Sara, Jen & Darek, Kirk & Julie, Melissa, Uncle Mike, Tiffany or others of the Colton clan, and many new friends.

Angela did absolutely great. She beat her previous best time by more than 7 minutes, and qualified for Boston, which has long been a goal for her. She struggled with cramping at the end, and feels like she gave it everything so was very satisfied. I was proud of her.

And 1/2 hour later, I crossed the line. It was my worst time by about 22 minutes, but it was actually a bit better than I was expecting and I was happy with finishing. It sort of sounds like an excuse, but the fact that we only found out about 4 weeks before the marathon that we were in didn't really give me a lot of training time. Fortunately Angela had already been running a lot and was much more prepared. I, on the other hand, was not really ready but excited to get another one under my belt. This was my 9th STG, so next year will be my induction into the 10-year club, which I'm quite excited about.

So this week is dedicated to closing out my work in my Imagine Learning job, and preparing to start my new job at Domo on Monday. I'm super stoked about the change, other than the fact that I'll miss many of the people with whom I work at IL. It feels like a really good move and I'm anxious to get going.

Mom and Dad were in town from Chile for a week or so surrounding General Conference. It was great to spend some time with them as they came down to Provo for a visit, and we had a big dinner up at their house one Sunday. My personal highlight of their visit, though, was taking an afternoon off work and going fly fishing with Dad up at the cabin. The fishing was not great, but it was a beautiful day and I can't think of anything better than being on the river with Dad.

Brig finished off another soccer season last week, and I enjoyed being one of the coaches. There were too many kids on the team so it was hard at times to get everyone in and out, but all in all he loved it and had fun. Morgan has started back into her swim team after an end-of-summer break. She's working hard at it and continues to improve her times. Kennan takes tennis and dance, Micah takes tumbling and dance in addition to cheerleading at school. Busy days...

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

St George Marathon

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