Finding Joy in the Journey

Finding Joy in the Journey: Ensign, Nov. 2008 by President Thomas S. Monson

Good afternoon. As Brother Jones said, we are the Porter’s. We have one little girl, Keni, who is 6 months old and is a joy to have around. We’ve lived in the ward now for a year and will be moving in a couple of weeks to Utah. Joe will continue to go to school at the University of Utah to attend PA school. Utah will bring new adventures and we are excited to move.

I was asked to speak on the conference talk Finding Joy in the Journey from November of 2008. I love this talk. It talks about being happy in the present and searching for the true joy in our everyday lives. When I heard that this was my topic I was happy. I remember the talk being so popular and I was sure to find many materials to prepare. Then I was scared. I figured I would be preaching to the choir because everyone has heard this talk over and over. But after reading the talk again I felt so rejuvenated. Today I hope that 1. you can also become rejuvenated or 2. be motivated to go home and read the talk for yourself.

President Monson begins the talk with saying, "Nothing is as constant as change." I thought about how sometimes change can be extremely difficult...such as a death in the family or an maybe losing something we treasure. There are also times that change can be extremely easy...like being promoted at a job. I thought of some things that have changed for our family over the past few years I came up with a whole slew of things. A few are:

• Moving 4 times (We’ve been married 4 years)
• Changing jobs
• Having our sweet baby girl
• Driving new vehicles

After thinking about the changes in my life, I realized that President Monson was just called to be the prophet prior to his talk. He probably faced the biggest change in his entire life. If anyone had the right to be overwhelmed by change, it was him. But he was so optimistic and thoughtful.

"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 non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do.

Instead, find joy in the journey-now."

I love that he says the word NOW. I need to focus on the now. For a year now we’ve known that we would most likely be moving. It has been difficult to focus on the here and now when I know that. I always say things like "well there is no sense in making new friends when we are going to be moving" or "why do (whatever) when we will just be moving anyways". I would look towards the future to make it through the present.

But President Monson helps me gain a better perspective by saying,

"...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."

He continues …”What is most important almost always involves the people around us.”

So I started thinking about what was most important to me. Obviously, my number one priority is going to be my cute little growing family. Keni is growing so fast. When I was pregnant one of the comments I got the most was “They sure do grow fast. Make sure you enjoy her.” I knew that Keni would grow fast but I didn’t truly understand. I don’t want to miss her growing up because I’m focused on the past—or the future. I shouldn’t worry about having the nicest, cleanest house or the fanciest dinner on the table for when my husband gets home. What I do want is to have the best memories possible playing and having fun with my family. At night I often think to myself, “How did I spend my day? How many times did I ignore Keni so that I could read my book or look at something on the computer? Did I tell my dear sweet husband how much I appreciate him working so that I can spend my days home with Keni? Did I tell my family how much I love them?”

Another quote from President Monson's talk says:

"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."

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved....Let us share our love with our friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows."

So what if right now we are in the middle of a trial? How do we find joy in that journey? When it seems like things are dreary and hopeless remember this advice:

Express gratitude for our blessings

I know, right! Easier said than done. But really we need to stop and think about how blessed we really are.There is something good that comes from the trial. If you are sick, maybe the good is that you have health insurance. If you have lost a loved one, maybe the good is that you are surrounded by friends and family. If your husband is in school and you feel like you never see him, maybe the good is that he is getting an education to support the family for all the years to come.

There are always blessings in every thing we do. Even if things are difficult just remember that we can do our best and that is all. Take a step back and try to find the good in it. You’ll be surprised at the good you find.

In the talk President Monson told a story of a girl who suffered from severely impaired vision. She wanted to participate in everyday life despite her handicap. Even though her peers discouraged her, she went to college earning her bachelor degree in Arts and then continued her education further. She said that she could only see out of one eye and the eye that was good had dense scars. She had to do all of her seeing through one small opening of her left eye. She could see a book if she held it up close to her face and strain that eye one as far left as she could. She became a principle of 8 schools in western Minnesota and North Dakota.

When she was 50 she had eye surgery that restored most of her sight. A new and exciting world had been opened up to 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 reflect in the bubbles in her dishwater, or observing the phases of the moon each night.

At age 92 she published her last book called Happy All My Life. Her attitude of thankfulness enabled her to appreciate her blessings and live a full rich life despite her challenges.

President Monson says:

"If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues."

The greatest example of showing gratitude in the midst of trials would be Jesus Christ. He suffered repeated physical, emotional and mental trials. Yet he kept an eternal perspective and continually showed gratitude to Heavenly Father.

In fact, the night before he was to be crucified, he gave these words of comfort to his apostles:

John 16:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body. But rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO-HOO what a ride!' -unknown

President Monson ends his talk with his testimony of Christ and then says:

"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 deed."

I am grateful for all of my blessings. I am so lucky to have a forgiving and nurturing husband that I can spend an eternity with. I’m thankful for Keni and all the joy she brings us. I’m grateful for all the modern day conveniences we have that make our lives easier. I’m glad that Joe and I have been lucky enough to both have jobs that we love especially in this crazy, economic time. I’m truly amazed at the sacrifices Jesus Christ went though and yet he is still the most forgiving. I’m glad I have trials so that I can learn from them and gain knowledge. I hope that we can all try and find joy in our everyday lives. There is good. We just have to find it. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.