Nothing is as constant as change. The great thing about our society is that things are constantly changing. People are moving wards all of the time. Generally, if you are moving out, you can squeak by without having to get up and say good-bye to the whole congregation by giving a Sacrament talk. The flip side is, that if you are moving out of one ward you are moving into another and you can count on introducing your family to the ward by giving a Sacrament talk. So, let me tell you a little about us. We are part of the Ludden family. If you need to call us, make sure you dial the right number or you may find yourself talking to Tom, Lorraine, Steve, or Valerie instead of us. We are a family of four. The cutest part of our family are our two boys. Charlie is 2 and a half and Christopher is 9 months, he would be that cute little red head. They love playing, eating, sleeping, and screaming. It's a good thing that Grammie and Grandpa love their grandkids. Then there is Dave. He is heading back to school so that he can catch up to me in education and get a bachelor degree. To finish up we get to end with me. I spend my time playing with kids, helping Dave with his business, and baking. Oh, how I love to bake. I fit in really well with Lorraine in that respect.
Like I said before, nothing is as constant as change. You can count on change happening, sometimes in little ways and sometimes in big ways. A lot of the time if we are not paying attention change can just pass us by and we don't even notice it. President Monson once said, "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."
I don't know about you, but I frequently find myself saying "Maybe next week won't be as crazy, and I can finally find time to do this or that". But alas, week after week goes by and instead of things slowing down, they just seem to get crazier and crazier. Do you find time to fit in the most important activities in your life? Or do you find yourself always saying "someday". In The Music Man Professor Harold Hill says "You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you've collected a lot of empty yesterdays." What a sad realization that would be, after years of tirelessly running from place to place, to notice that you didn't do anything of great importance. President Monson once quoted a story written by Arthur Gordon. The story goes as follows...
"When I was around thirteen and my brother ten, Father had promised to take us to the circus. But at lunchtime there was a phone call; some urgent business required his attention downtown. We braced ourselves for disappointment. Then we heard him say [into the phone], 'No, I won't be down. It'll have to wait.'
"When he came back to the table, Mother smiled, "The circus keeps coming back, you know.'
"I know,' said Father. 'But childhood doesn't.'"
There are many times that I wish I could just freeze my children at the ages that they are right now. Well, at least on the good days. The days of childhood do go by so quickly. All of us are either going through childhood or have been through childhood. When you are in the middle of it, time seems to go by so slowly. All you want is to grow up and do whatever you want to do. Then you graduate high school and the days speed up. Every day time seems to fly by faster and faster. Some days it feels like you could get whiplash from the speed of life. What are you doing to enjoy each day to it's fullest? Are you making time to do the things that will count the most when this life is over? Will you regret not doing more? Living life the way we want to and the way our schedules demand us to is such a fine balance.
President Monson tells us that "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.” 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."
Relationships with our loved ones do not stay strong and healthy by themselves. Every relationship requires a little love and a little attention. Life is so much more enjoyable surrounded by the people you love most. Do you show them how much they are loved? It's the little things, like sending a friend a quick note just to tell them how great they are, or hugging a child or a parent that really helps somebody know that they are loved. President Monson admonishes us to "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."
So, last night, I decided to do a little enjoying of my journey. I went and hung out with some great friends. I decided that spending some time with these great ladies was more important than finishing the preparations for my talk. I am sorry Dave if I don’t fill enough time before it is your turn. It was my friend Jenny’s 40th birthday party. It was a night of being just plain silly. There we were, all comfy on beanbag chairs and couches watching Mamma Mia belting out ABBA songs. The dvd included a sing along track as one of the bonuses on the disc so at least we were singing the right words even if they weren’t the right notes. I must say that Christopher really enjoyed all of these singing ladies. He was singing and dancing right along with us. What a great memory last night will be. How sad it would have been if I had passed on it.
One of the songs that we sung last night was entitled “Slipping Through My Fingers”. It really made me realize that we are all looking to enjoy our journey here on earth with those we love most. Time goes by so quickly that we can easily let things slip. I would like to share some of the lyrics with you.
Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake, I let precious time go by
Then when she's gone there's that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt I can't deny
What happened to the wonderful adventures
The places I had planned for us to go
Well, some of that we did but most we didn't
And why I just don't know
Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture
And save it from the funny tricks of time
Slipping through my fingers...
Life continues, day after day. We can get lost in the daily grind and not realize what is going on around us. Not only are we missing out on time with friends and family, we may be missing out on the enjoyment of many great and wonderful blessings in our lives. When was the last time you sat down and really thought about the things that are in your life that you are grateful for. President Monson once said that “our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings.”
He goes on to talk about a wonderful lady by the name of Borghild Dahl. She was born in Minnesota in 1890 of Norwegian parents and from her early years suffered severely impaired vision. She had a tremendous desire to participate in everyday life despite her handicap and, through sheer determination, succeeded in nearly everything she undertook. Against the advice of educators, who felt her handicap was too great, she attended college, receiving her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Minnesota. She later studied at Columbia University and the University of Oslo. She eventually became the principal of eight schools in western Minnesota and North Dakota.
She wrote the following in one of the 17 books she authored: “I had only one eye, and it was so covered with dense scars that I had to do all my seeing through one small opening in the left of the eye. I could see a book only by holding it up close to my face and by straining my one eye as hard as I could to the left.”
Miraculously, in 1943—when she was over 50 years old—a revolutionary procedure was developed which finally restored to her much of the sight she had been without for so long. A new and exciting world opened up before her. She took great pleasure in the small things most of us take for granted, such as watching a bird in flight, noticing the light reflected in the bubbles of her dishwater, or observing the phases of the moon each night. She closed one of her books with these words: “Dear … Father in heaven, I thank Thee. I thank Thee.”
Borghild Dahl, both before and after her sight was restored, was filled with gratitude for her blessings.
In 1982, two years before she died, at the age of 92 her last book was published. Its title: Happy All My Life. Her attitude of thankfulness enabled her to appreciate her blessings and to live a full and rich life despite her challenges.
Do you carry an attitude of thankfulness through your life? In Doctrine and Covenants 59:21 the Lord says “In nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things.”
I pray that we all can live our lives acknowledging God’s hands in all things and striving to enjoy each day to it’s fullest while doing the things that are most important.
I know that our Heavenly Father placed us here on this earth to live our lives filled with joy. I also know that He is the master of hiding wonderful blessings in the middle of our hardest trials. I know that my Redeemer lives, I know that He loves me and He never forgets about me as I struggle through my life trying to do the things that He wants of me. I know that He loves all of his children and wants to bless us with the righteous desires of our hearts. I also know that we must live by his timeline and that when the time is right He will bless us with what we need.
Be grateful in your lives and enjoy your life to it’s fullest. It passes all to quickly and the tomorrows will become yesterdays. Live life surrounded by loved ones. Laugh and enjoy your time here. Love yourself and your life no matter what is going on in it at this time. Brothers and Sisters, Find Joy in YOUR Journey!
