Finding Joy in the Journey 1-26-09

Son,

How are you doing William? I hope everything is going great. I would love to hear that you had some success with the Spanish families that you met with last week. Any news there?

Benson has had a lot of fun working on the truck. I had to get the rattle fixed in the exhaust manifold, but I thought that Benson could fix the “sway-bar” on the front suspension. The mechanic wanted $75 and Benson fixed it for $15. Then the transmission started making a funny grinding noise, we checked the transmission fluid level and found it was bone dry. We added a full quart to the transmission and the noise went away. That may still come back to haunt us.

Tausha (Steve’s wife) did not win the Miss America pageant, but it was cool that she got to compete. Auntie Susie went to Las Vegas to watch the pageant she thought it was pretty fun.

Grandma Boy got some new glasses that help her to see. She said that they are helping a lot, but if she moves her head her vision goes from seeing the whiskers on a mans face to seeing the neighbors dog ½ a mile away. But she is getting used to them.

Mary Ann is working on a quilt for Patricia. It is looking really cool, and Mary Ann is so proud of how clean the corners turned out.

We got a lot of snow this week. After a week of the mid-50’s weather, we got about 6 inches on Sunday.

Sunday was Ward Conference we had a lesson taken from Pres. Monson’s message in the November 2008 Ensign, “Finding Joy in the Journey”. I was able to tell about how your attitude has changed from “I have 22 more fast Sunday’s till I can come home” to one of “I only have 22 more fast Sundays to have all the experiences my mission has to offer.”

So I have included excerpt from Pres Monson talk for your spiritual message this week. I hope that you find it to have a message that helps to as you continue to grow where you are.

I love you and you are in our prayers every night. Next week will be a “live” letter week so I will have to get started on that soon, so that you get it on time. I look forward to hearing how your week went, take care of yourself.

Love, Dad, Mary Ann, and Benson

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Finding Joy in the Journey
Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Nov 2008

Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family.

I begin by mentioning one of the most inevitable aspects of our lives here upon the earth, and that is change. At one time or another we’ve all heard some form of the familiar adage: “Nothing is as constant as change.”

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 nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.

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.

Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows.

Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings.

The ancient Roman philosopher Horace admonished, “Whatever hour God has blessed you with, take it with grateful hand, nor postpone your joys from year to year, so that in whatever place you have been, you may say that you have lived happily.”

Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days—as much as we can—with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed.

In closing, I pray that all of us will reflect gratitude for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His glorious gospel provides answers to life’s greatest questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where does my spirit go when I die?

He taught us how to pray. He taught us how to serve. He taught us how to live. His life is a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved.

Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His word. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude.

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. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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