Monday, November 28, 2011

What Matters Most

monson

A few days ago, I clicked over to Gerb’s blog and she had posted the What Matters Most video.  I have watched it few times since that day and each time it touches my heart a little bit more than the previous times.  Pres. Monson shares with us that there are many lessons that help us distinguish of what it is important than what it is not. 
After watching this video again, I searched for the talk that this video originated from…I found it here.  As I read and pondered this particular talk, the following paragraph stood out as if it had popped off the page…

“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.”

As I read these two paragraphs and pondered them, my heart was filled with peace and of course, plenty of tears.  I know that I am doing the best that I can.  I know that I am trying to live my life with no “what if’s” and with no “if only’s”.  I try to express sincere “I love you’s”, “I miss you’s” and plenty of “thanks”.  The difficult thing for me is that I have to muster all of the courage to do these things.  It takes ever fiber in my being to say them because I have the most difficult weaknesses…doubt, fear, and rejection.  Sometimes these fears out weigh the most righteous desires. I face these weaknesses every single day and they do not get any easier. After reading, Pres. Monson’s talk, I know that I will gather the courage to try harder and do a little bit better…no matter what the reaction is on the other end.

~Michelle

3 comments:

Angela said...

That was a neat talk I was just thinking today at work that I need to tell the people dear to my heart more that I love them. Sunday a Guy gave a talk in our ward on Gratitude and he said what if when you woke up in the morning all you had was what you had thanked Heavenly Father for in your prayers the night before. Thanks for sharing this Post

Gerb said...

It has stayed with me, too. I also need to make the time to let people know what they mean to me. Thanks for the link to my blog! You are such a dear friend, Michelle, and you always will be. Thanks for who you are.

¡Vieve! said...

I do love that talk, and the accompanying video. I hope that people know how I feel about them all the time! (You might, since I assault you all the time...)