President Gordon B. Hinckley

(image found at www.lds.org)

On Saturday I was contemplating the life of our beloved prophet and wondering if we would hear him speak at General Conference in April. I remember glancing at our bookcase in the living room and seeing my copy of his biography on the shelf, thinking of how glad I was that I read it in 2006. I was dealing with some of my usual day-to-day frustrations of not getting up as early as I'd like, not being as productive as I'd like, and not going to bed as early as I'd like while I was recalling some of what he says in the book. To paraphrase, if you go to bed at 10:00 and arise at 6:00 you'll be able to get done just about anything you want in a day. To hear of President Hinckley's passing just the day after recalling his words of sound advice was bittersweet. I am grateful that he can be reunited with his sweet wife again, but it is hard to imagine not hearing him speak at General Conference in a couple months. He spoke at BYU just 2 days before Jacob was born, on September 18 2007, and his talk is in my copy of BYU Magazine this quarter - a wonderful address. We really have been blessed by his example, teachings, and his service to God and fellow man. I never had the pleasure of meeting him personally, but he touched me in a way that I felt like I was a good friend of his. I remember when I felt my testimony of him as Prophet, seer and revelator become absolutely unshakable. I don't know how else to describe it; I felt that I knew before, but after this I knew. It was during the last session of General Conference in Fall 2006 when the congregation joined the choir in the last verse of the closing hymn - "We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet" - I was sitting in the upper balcony on the far right in the Conference Center with Jeff and there was a marvelous feeling as we stood with 22,000 other Saints to sing of our gratitude. I am thankful for President Hinckley and for what he has taught me over the years.