change.

I have been thinking a lot about change lately. Last week I had the realization that I hate change. I have always thought that change and I were best buds. I am constantly on the go and always changing my mind and never really focusing on one thing, because I get bored really easy. I despise routines. My life is constantly changing. So as I was driving home the other night I was thinking about how my life is changing and I how I don't like it. What?! Why would I think that? Then I realized that it is because I have no control of the way my life is changing right now. I am a control freak! Yes. I am. Ok change is good. But I like my life right now. I am happy. Why does it have to change? 

Two of my best friends are leaving in a few weeks for Korea. They will be gone for 5 or more months. What will I do without them? Be bored. Be lonely. Actually get homework done. Who knows? All I know is that I need to be grateful for the changes that are happening and find joy in the journey. As hard as that may be.

I found this talk by Pres. Monson and it has helped me reflect on the aspect of change. Here are a few quotes from his talk:

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.

My brothers and sisters, there is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today.

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.” 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.”

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.

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.”

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.