Remembering President Hinckley

Since President Hinckley's passing on Sunday January 27th there have been so many thoughts and memories shared of President Hinckley in newspapers and on the news. What an amazing man to be able to touch so many people of our faith and not of our faith. I would like to record my own thoughts/memories as well.

I am very thankful for President Hinckley's teachings and his example of service. He is the first prophet that I think I really appreciated. He became president while I was in seminary and I remember loving all of his teachings and his smile/humor immediately. The six B's are probably my favorite thing. I was serving in a primary president at the time President Hinckley taught them. In a February issue of the Friend soon after that a sharing time taught the children about the six B's and encouraged the children to send a valentine to President Hinckley. This was something our primary did together and I was impressed and grateful for all the children's thoughts to President Hinckley. He truly has had such an impact on the youth of this church.

After we learned of President Hinckley's passing on Sunday night Lucie asked Trent to write some thoughts down for her and this is what she said..."President Hinckley...I love the prophets. I love Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost." Later that night in her prayers she blessed that President Hinckley would be happy in his new home and even though we miss him that he would be happy with his wife. Her sweet testimony touched my heart and even now I cannot type this without tears in my eyes. I hope that she will always have a testimony of the gospel and have a desire to have it be a part of her life.

I want to share another picture of President Hinckley that I came across this week. It came from the BYU Alumni Magazine. We see so many pictures of his face and this caught my attention because I think it shows how thoughtful he is and how he pondered and appreciated the blessings of our day. There are so many more thoughts I could share, but most importantly I want to remember and others to know how grateful I am for a prophet.

President Hinckley looking at the Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center on the BYU campus on the day that it was dedicated.

A few of my favorite thoughts from President Hinckley -

"I am absolutely confident that heaven will smile upon us. The Lord will hear our prayers if we will commit ourselves, giving our very best to this work" (Worldwide Leadership Training, Jan 2004).

"With all of our doing, with all of our leading, with all of our teaching, the most important thing we can do for those whom we lead is to cultivate in their hearts a living, vital, vibrant testimony and knowledge of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world, the Author of our salvation, He who atoned for the sins of the world and opened the way of salvation and eternal life. I would hope that in all we do we would somehow constantly nourish the testimony of our people concerning the Savior. I am satisfied—I know it’s so—that whenever a man has a true witness in his heart of the living reality of the Lord Jesus Christ, all else will come together as it should. … That is the root from which all virtue springs among those who call themselves Latter-day Saints" (Inspirational Thoughts, Ensign Aug. 1997).

Six B's -
Be Grateful
Be Smart
Be Clean
Be True
Be Humble
Be Prayerful