On the brink of a milestone birthday - he will be 65 on Aug. 21 - President Thomas S. Monson shared with the Church News some thoughts and experiences that have enriched his life.
"The 65th birthday certainly is a milestone," said President Monson, second counselor in the First Presidency. "Consequently, you do a little reflecting on your goals and objectives, you think about how well you're working toward their achievement, you look at your personal and family responsibilities and, in my case, my responsibilities as a General Authority."For years, President Monson has been accustomed to being among the younger of his colleagues. He was just 22 when he was called as bishop of the Sixth-Seventh Ward in Salt Lake City, and only 31 when called to preside over the Canadian Mission, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. He was called to the Council of the Twelve when he was 36.
"Sitting where I do among the Brethren, I've mingled for many years with men much older than I. Consequently, age does not seem to be the focal point here quite so much as it is in industry where people retire at earlier ages than ever," he noted.
"Since it's always been a common thing for me to be among the younger of the Brethren with whom I associated, I've sort of lost perspective of the fact that I'm growing older each year as they've grown older. So now, as I'm about to turn 65, I stop and look around and realize how many of the Brethren who had such a marked influence in my life are gone."
President Monson doesn't find turning 65 disconcerting. While much of today's society has a fixation on youth, he seems immune to any emphasis or distinction given to age. The ward he presided over as bishop had 1,060 members, with many in their older years, including about 85 widows. "I became accustomed early in life to just set aside the fact that I was very young and that there was a 20-, 30-, or 40-year-span between me and some of the people over whom I presided. I became appreciative of the older people. They had lived longer and endured more than most of the young people. There was a richness to their lives.
"I felt very close to those people we call `senior citizens' today. They still appear in my mind's eye to have been older then than I am now. But in reality, they weren't. They then were probably about the age I am now.
"I think we're better off to realize that each age category has its virtues and its problems. Youth has its enthusiasm and the desire to live life to the fullest and to get the most out of every day. As we become more mature, we space ourselves a little bit as far as realizing that we can't do everything in a day if we want to do it well, that planning and preparation are important elements toward accomplishing our tasks rather than recklessly moving toward an achievement."
He described a sign he saw some years ago at a machinery company. On the blade of an old snow plow in front of the building, the sign stated: "You can't do today's work with yesterday's machines if you expect to be in business tomorrow."
President Monson added his own philosophy: "I think we need to realize that the scriptures are sound, the doctrine is sound. The basic doctrines of the Church are in place generation after generation but the procedures whereby we achieve the Lord's objectives vary somewhat from time to time. I think if we're not careful it's an easy thing to look back at the heroes we've revered - for example, former presidents of the Church who were dear to us, whom we deeply loved - and feel that because they accomplished something in a certain way in their time that that's the way it has to be done today. That isn't good thinking because those men were pioneering in their own day solutions to problems and challenges, and were not necessarily focusing their attention in the same way as did the generation before they came on the scene.
"That brings us to the position when we realize that the Lord has in His purposes a time when we're called to serve. He expects us to use the talents and the experiences He has given us. I'm a great believer that the Lord provides us specific experiences to prepare us to deal with some of the challenges that we're going to encounter in our own period of service."
Predominately optimistic, President Monson looks for the good in other people and in life's situations. That optimism endears him to the young and the old alike.
"My basic philosophy is if you take life one day at a time, meet the challenges of that day, and look forward to the opportunities of tomorrow, that will keep your work load even and unencumber your mind of worry over whether you should have done something this way or that way. If you do that, you won't be stacking up 10 to 12 problems in front of you in a pile, one on top of the other. You concentrate, focusing your attention on one, two or three that are right there in front of you. I think that by being optimistic, you learn not to become burdened down."
President Monson might be described as "a people person." He enjoys meeting people, shaking hands and visiting with them at every opportunity. He hardly passes anyone on the street without saying, "Hello."
He likes working as part of a team. "I feel there is a lot of untapped talent out there, and I like to see it put to use. I think that's one reason I enjoy missionary work so much." He described the satisfaction he has felt over the years watching the progress of those who served under him when he was a mission president.
President Monson enjoys outdoor activities, particularly fishing. He is an avid fan of the Utah Jazz basketball team, and, to keep physically fit, he swims regularly at Deseret Gym. Over the years, he has cut short the time that could have been spent on recreation or on his own interests to devote to missionary and other Church work. "You can't enjoy what you don't do, and I think you are bound to enjoy what you really give your heart and soul to," he said.
One basic preamble guides President Monson's life. To illustrate it, he pointed to several paintings in his office. All are owned by the Church, except one representing the Savior.
"I've had that picture since I was a bishop, when it was on the wall facing me in my office for five years," he said. "I had it at home when I was a stake presidency member. I took it to Canada with me, and had it when I was a mission president. I brought it to this building when I was called as an apostle. I've occupied two or three rooms in this building, but that picture has always been on the wall facing me. There isn't a day that I'm here that I don't come up against difficult decisions, those that require wisdom beyond my own. It's very typical for me to look at that picture and ask, `What would He do?'
"I find if I put that preamble in my mind I don't have much difficulty in providing counsel, in making decisions, in planning a course of action."
Of the passing of time, President Monson said, "It was 29 years this fall when I was called to the Twelve. It seems like a day. I am the beneficiary of the talent and training of good men and women.
"I have a wonderful wife [FrancesT. I was a ward clerk when we got married; she has never known a time when we could sit together in the congregation in sacrament meeting. We have three wonderful children and six beautiful grandchildren.
"As I look back on my life, I have no regrets. But I do feel I probably could have been a bit better at safeguarding a little more time for my family. I think I could not have given more to my daily work or my assignments; I gave all I had. But as I look back in retrospect, I think a man should remember that his family is eternal and he should allocate adequate time for that perspective."
