President Hinckley

I know this post is a little late but after the funeral yesterday and our lesson in R.S. today at church, I can't help but do my own little post about the prophet of our church.

He's been the prophet since before I was in high school, which has been a long time! I will always remember that President Hinckley was the prophet during a lot of monumental times of my life. I think he will always be my favorite.
I love this picture of him. It's a little grainy but I scanned it from our Relief Society newsletter. I got tears in my eyes when I first looked at it. Last week when my mom called me to tell me that he had died, I was a little surprised, but mostly I was just happy knowing that he was with his wife again. That was pretty much my feeling all week - I wasn't very sad about his death, but happy for him.

Then yesterday was his funeral and during the closing song of the funeral, there was a little slideshow with pictures of him, I couldn't help but cry (I'm usually so good at holding back tears). I wanted to go lock myself in a room and cry by myself for a little while, about how much I will miss President Hinckley. He lived such a good life and touched so many people, including me. I was interested in watching his casket being carried to the hearse (sp?) and watching the funeral procession to his gravesite. I almost wanted to be there - even on the side of a road, to be part of so many people showing their love and respect for him.

After the funeral was a show about his life as our prophet, and there was this part where it showed some young men shaking his hand. It looked to me like missionaries that had been in a line to shake the prophet's hand. As one of the men got up for his turn to shake President Hinckley's hand, instead he gave him the biggest hug. It looked to me like President Hinckley wasn't expecting it, but smiled and hugged him back anyway. I wished it was me hugging him. I feel like I knew him personally, and he knew me too.

He has given so many talks and there are so many quotes he has given, that have made me feel like he was talking directly to me, and knew what I was going through at the time. As I thought about how I was missing someone that I had never even met, it made me think about my Savior Jesus Christ. President Hinckley stood for everything that represents Jesus Christ. I know that my Savior does know me personally, and he speaks to a prophet. Sometimes, it is through a prophet's words that we receive answers to our prayers - which has been the case with me many times as I've listened to President Hinkley talk. I know that I can continue to learn from him even though he is gone and I'm excited to sustain a new prophet for our church at the same time.

I know this post was a little churchy, but I love the gospel and I know that we are blessed to have a prophet on the earth today. I look forward to being able to give my Savior a big hug someday, and I will search out Gordon B. Hinckley in heaven - to do the same!