President Hinckley

Our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away on Sunday night. When my mom called to tell me President Hinckley had passed away, I was a little surprised. He was 97 years old, so it shouldn't have been surprising at all, but somehow I just thought he'd live forever.
When I was on my mission, President Didier visited Ukraine. In a meeting with members and missionaries, he told us that he brought us greetings and love from the First Presidency. He'd spent some time with the prophet at General Conference a few weeks previously and related an experience. I don't remember the entire story, but President Hinckley had been working tirelessly all week and was completely exhausted when he arrived home very late one evening. So exhausted, that particular day, he did not even have enough energy to undress and sleep in his bed. Instead, he laid down on the couch and asked his son to help him take off his shoes. He had no strength left. The next morning, the prophet was dressed and ready to go at 4 A.M. His son suggested he go back to sleep, since no meetings were scheduled until 8 or 9 that morning. President Hinckley said something like, "How can I sleep when there is so much work to do? We have no time to waste. We must get to work and use every minute."
As missionaries, you can imagine the gigantic feeling of guilt that suddenly overwhelmed each of us. We liked to complain about waking up at 6 A.M. and working hard all day. We were happy for long bus rides when we didn't have to contact, but could relax and just rest for a few minutes. Of course all of our efforts were nothing compared to our the efforts of our prophet. A man four times our age, but with more energy than any of us.
One of my favorite quotes is by Sister Hinckley.
"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenck's lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

When I think about President Hinckley's passing, I am sincerely happy for him. He will be missed greatly, but I just can't stop thinking about how happy he must be to see his sweet wife again. I remember seeing this photo after Sister Hinckley's funeral and just feeling a little bit of the loneliness he much have felt.

Eternal families are such an amazing, wonderful thing. I am truly grateful for the knowledge I have that our families do not end here on earth. Through the construction of temples, President Hinckley helped bring that knowledge closer to millions of people. I'll never forget sitting in the Topol chapel in Dneprpetrovsk, Ukraine and listening to our Branch President tell everyone that President Hinckley had just announced the construction of a temple in Kiev. Suddenly blessings that were once so far away came within reach to some of the people I love most in this world. Such an amazing thing!

I love this photo of President and Sister Hinckley. I think President Hinckley waved his cane around more than he ever used it to help him walk. I always loved to see him wave his cane in their air when he walked out of General Conference. President Gordon B. Hinckley was a great man who led by a great example. He will truly be missed.