Be Happy Now

    This last weekend Brian and I went down to South Jordan to spend time with Brian's dad, Craig because Laurie was out of town visiting Brian's brother Mike and their little family. On Sunday in Relief Society this cute young mom with four kids gave the lesson. The lesson was on President Uchtdorf's conference talk "Forget Me Not." Here we were reminded 5 things the Lord doesn't want us to forget.

The one that stuck out to me the most was the "Be Happy Now"
    "Don't forget to be happy NOW!  There's nothing wrong with seeking good, what is wrong is when we put our happiness on hold waiting for that perfect thing that we think will make us happy. Are we failing to notice the blessings that we do have?"
    This mom told an example of what many of us grow up thinking. We start very young and think "If only I can get that bike that Casey has for Christmas, then I'll be happy" and then for Christmas we get the bike and our next thought is, "If only I can have those shoes, then I'll be happy" and then it moves to that awkward time when we're the oldest in the primary and we feel way too old to be there especially when we have to sing in the primary program with all those little kids and we think, "If only I can be in Young Women's now, then I'll be happy." Then the time comes to be in Young Women's and the next thought is the big 16, "I can't wait to be 16, because then I can date and drive and I'll surely be happy then." 16 rolls around, and driving and dating begin and we find that they really aren't all that we thought and so the next thought is, "If only I could graduate from high school now and move on to college, then I'll be happy!" And then we graduate and the next thought is, "If only I could get married now, then I'll be happy." And once your married it's "If only I could have a baby now, and then I'll be happy." And then the pregnancy kicks in and the morning sickness and then we're left thinking, "Man, I can't until this baby comes! Then I won't be sick and I can be happy!" and then comes the baby and all the up-all-nights, the diapers, the fussing and crying and we think "I can't wait for this baby to be out of diapers, then I will be happy!" And then comes another baby.. next thing you know your youngest is starting Junior High and you think, "Where did all the time go?" Well it went while you were waiting to be happy.
    I know this is a long example, but it hit me very strongly because in a few short months our life is about to make another huge change. In a few short months we will be graduating from College and moving to Medical School far away from Utah. A few short months is all we have left of living together in Utah for at least 8-10 more years. One of the thoughts that has been coursing through my mind is how excited I'll be when we return back to Utah to live in 8 or so years. Then I have to remind myself, that is years and years away! I'm living in Utah now. Be happy now! Right now I need to take advantage of being so close to our families and friends.
    So right now, now matter what is going on in my life, I am choosing to be happy right now. Enjoy the journey, not just the destination.