Finding Joy In The Journey - NOW!

I know it's a little late for a Conference report, but I wanted to record an experience I had while watching the President Thomas S. Monson give his talk, Finding Joy in the Journey during the Sunday morning Session.

Bryan was working at the hospital, so I was watching General Conference on the computer with the kids. It was the end of the session, so the kids' attention spans were really wearing thin. Hannah was cranky and fussy, Logan was impatient and crying for me to help him build his Mr. Potato Head, and Andrew was laying upside-down, spinning in the computer chair and hitting Logan every time he came around. I was loosing my patience quickly and said angrily, "Man, it would be so nice to watch Conference alone! Then maybe I'd be able to get something out of it!" I could barely hear Pres. Monson's talk, but at that very moment, I clearly heard him say,

"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."

I immediately burst into tears, realizing that I wasn't appreciating this time in my life as much as I should. My kids are growing so fast, and I know I will miss them terribly when they are gone!

I was sure to read President Monson's talk again when it was published in the Ensign. Here are a few other quotes from the same talk that really touched me:

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."

And,

"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."