Finding Joy In The Journey

From Pres. Monson

"If 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.

If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.

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.'^4"

This is such a wonderful quote from our Prophet and since I let this Valentines pass without any fanfare I just wanted each of you to know how much we love you and thank you for all you are doing to help our grandchildren to grow and end up to be such loveable and loving adults. Some of the grandchildren are reading scriptures on their own, we thrill at that journey for you, some are in sports and activities to strengthen their bodies, we thrill at those successes, each is going to church and are growing spiritually that way, that is the greatest joy to us of all. Thank you, we love you, we miss our association with you regularly. We are grateful for phones, email, and now ichat. We wish we were closer, but we love you, and are grateful for you. Love Grandma and Grandad