j . a . m . k . m . b: It's only 3 1/2 hours? Let's go...

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."

Monday, January 23, 2012

It's only 3 1/2 hours? Let's go...

We had a fun weekend trip down to St George this last weekend, with a few fun highlights. The purpose of the trip was for Angela and me to run a 5k as part of the St George Runner's Series, which guarantees you entry into October's St George Marathon if you run two other smaller races down there throughout the course of the year. The plan was for me to take my bike and go for a long training ride after the race, but it was not to be. Rain all day and ferocious winds derailed my well-laid plans, and I was not too happy about it. But, the 5k was pretty fun. It's a shorter distance than we're used to running, and believe it or not, it's a lot different from the way we train and race. I would actually rather run a longer race because with a 5k you're basically red-lining for 3 miles. I was completely out of breath with about a quarter mile to go and I really thought I might pass out just trying to keep up with Angela. In the end, we finished close together and were happy to find out that she took 2nd in her age group while I took 3rd in mine. Nice to get a plaque...

We were pretty cold after the race, and we had told the kids to be ready to hot-tub and swim in the heated pool when we got home. We figured even if it was raining we'd be fine with the warm water. Problem was, what looked like the hot tub from outside the pool area was actually just a small, round kiddie pool. The water was lukewarm, but with the sharp wind and rain drops coming down, it wasn't as thrilling as we had hoped for. Ang, Micah, and Kennan lasted all of 30 seconds, but Morgan and Brig wanted to keep swimming so I took one for the team and stayed in with them for about 20 minutes. Cold!

A highlight of the afternoon was going and visiting Grandma Gurr. We were a little worried because we'd heard reports that her mental health is slipping, so we were pleasantly surprised when she seemed happy and healthy, and fine for a visit. We talked for about 45 minutes, and we all enjoyed it, particularly Morgan who said a few times throughout the day how glad she was we got to see Grandma and visit with her.

Also really neat was running into some old friends who we'd known in our California ward, Ben and Maryanne Maher - he was my Elder's Quorum secretary for a while before they moved to St George. We hadn't seen them in probably 6 or 7 years, and we randomly ran into them at the race. It was really fun to catch up.

Apparently we missed torrential rain in Provo all day Saturday (yep, it's late January and it wasn't cold enough to snow...), so I can't complain too loudly about the inclement weather down south. Good thing is that the resorts probably got dumped on, so the previously horrible skiing should now improve drastically.

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Monday, January 23, 2012

It's only 3 1/2 hours? Let's go...

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