President Hinckley

I’m going to take a few minutes to record some feelings about the recent death of the leader of our church, President Gordon B. Hinckley. They’re personal feelings, but yet I know they are shared by many others. What a testament to both his unique personality and the gospel for which he was a mouthpiece that millions across the world have shed tears over the passing of this great man.

I wish that I could put into words how much the prophet President Hinckley has meant to me over the years. He became the prophet when I was 16, and passed away this year just before I turned 29. Those are some formative years, and I have loved him and his counsel so very, very much. Especially during my dating years, I clung to his quote, “It all works out. Don’t worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out.” And for me, eventually, the things I struggled with did work out, but I can’t tell you how many times I have repeated that quote to myself over the years. President Hinckley was optimistic, and encouraged members of the Church to be optimistic as well.

I think as wives and mothers we sometimes have a tendency to be hard on ourselves. For a long time I had this quote by President Hinckley on my wall: "I feel to invite women everywhere to rise to the great potential within you. I do not ask that you reach beyond your capacity. I hope you will not nag yourselves with thoughts of failure. I hope you will not try to set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. I hope you will simply do what you can do in the best way you know. If you do so, you will witness miracles come to pass." Isn’t that a beautiful quote? Miracles in our lives, just for doing the best we can, not for being a perfect all-star wife, mother, and member of the Church.

I loved President Hinckley because he was able to make me feel at peace with my life and yet determined to be a better person. I always felt as if he were saying, "It's okay to be where you are. You're doing the best you can. But you can do better, and you should do better." I loved him because of his tender love for his wife, his spunky sense of humor, his respect for women and all that we do, and his gentle leadership of the church. I will miss hearing his voice and listening to his counsel. I wish that my children would have gotten the chance to cherish him as I have. Passing away at the age of 97, he lived a long and full life, and I feel like I shouldn’t be sad. But I still am. I will miss President Hinckley.