Family Theme

Here we are halfway through the year and we are just deciding to have a family theme. Each year we have decided to pick something we want our family to focus on becoming better at.Better late then never.

This year (what's left of it anyway) we decided to focus on finding joy in the journey. The idea came about as we were sitting at a restaurant on a Friday night waiting to be seated at a table. Given fifteen to twenty minutes to wait, immediately the iphone came out and a chance to have fun together while waiting disappeared. This may seem dumb and insignificant, but it was kind of an a-ha! moment. President Thomas S. Monson said, "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. There is no tomorrow to remember if we don't do something today."

So many times we catch ourselves saying, "I'll be happy when..." and we have found that is really no way to live. We get so busy planning for certain time periods in our lives we forget to enjoy how simple our lives are right now, how cute Halle is with no teeth, how hard she tries to learn to stand up, and all the little moments we can turn into special memories. We're not saying we are trying to turn every second into something picture or video worthy, but there always is the possibility that something special is just around the corner if we are truly living in the moment. President Thomas S. Monson shared this story in one of his many talks on this subject: "I recently read the account of a man who, just after the passing of his wife, opened her dresser drawer and found there an item of clothing she had purchased when they visited the eastern part of the United States nine years earlier. She had not worn it but was saving it for a special occasion. Now, of course, that occasion would never come. In relating the experience to a friend, the husband said, 'Don't save something only for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion.' The friend later said those words changed her life. They helped her to cease putting off the things most important to her. Said she: 'Now I spend more time with my family. I use crystal glasses every day. I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket if I feel like it. The words 'someday' and 'one day' are fading from my vocabulary. Now I take time to call my relatives and closest friends. I've called old friends to make peace over past quarrels. I tell my family members how much I love them. I try not to delay or postpone anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives. And each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day. Each day, each hour, each minute, is special."

May we all live every day like it is a special occasion and find joy in the journey.