Till We Meet Again
Gordon B. Hinckley, our beloved prophet and president of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away last evening. It was not wholly unexpected, I mean he was 97! But it was still a little bit of a shock when Mom called to tell me the news. Now I can only think of how joyful his reunion with his dear wife of 67 years must have been, as well as with our Savior. When we told the boys, A said, “Well, he must have finished his work.” Yes, I think he must have!
What a work he’s done for this church and the spreading of the Gospel throughout his lifetime. We’ve been so blessed to have him as our prophet and hear so many wonderful words of counsel. Last night, my thoughts kept returning to these words from the April 1995 General Conference (emphasis mine):
My beloved associates, far more of us need to awake and arouse our faculties to an awareness of the great everlasting truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each of us can do a little better than we have been doing. We can be a little more kind. We can be a little more merciful. We can be a little more forgiving. We can put behind us our weaknesses of the past, and go forth with new energy and increased resolution to improve the world about us, in our homes, in our places of employment, in our social activities.
We have work to do, you and I, so very much of it. Let us roll up our sleeves and get at it, with a new commitment, putting our trust in the Lord.
Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear;
But with joy wend your way.
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
(Hymns, 1985, no. 30)We can do it, if we will be prayerful and faithful. We can do better than we have ever done before.
He truly exemplified this. He worked with joy (and humor!), never fearing, and was such an example to me. He made me want to do better and made me feel that I can. I just need to do a little better today than I did yesterday. That’s all it takes!
Good-bye President Hinckley, you will be missed!
Wonderful photo essay of President Hinckley
He always had a wonderful sense of humor, even to the very end. I love the quote you’ve posted.
I loved all those pictures in Meridian Magazine. Thanks for posting that link.
Yes it wasn’t unexpected but still a little bit of a shock. He will be missed.
He, of all people, had the right to ask this of us. He was constantly at work himself, even in his spare time.
Dear K.
I could hardly wait to read what I knew you would write. I knew it would be wonderful. Thanks for the links. I’m totally amazed at what A. said. How I will miss him. He truly left foot prints on my heart.
Love,
Mom