President Hinckley Has Passed Away.

It is finally sinking in that President Hinckley has died. It feels a little weird to write this but I think my first reaction was of happiness for him that he could now be with his sweet wife again. Those feelings were followed by my gratitude for the Gospel in which I am able to know he actually is with his wife and Savior again. What a beautiful reunion that must be for him. I then felt gratitude that I do not have to worry about the future of the Church's leadership because I know it is the Lord's church and thus lead by Him. But I am now realizing how much I will truly miss President Hinckley. The little things are sad to me, like the fact that I will never get to hear him speak at conference again. I will miss his voice; it was always so cheerful and yet tender and reassuring. His smile always made me smile. I will even miss the way he waved his cane. He has been the prophet for most of my life and I truly loved him and revered him as my prophet.

For me, one of the greatest blessing about attending BYU was the Devotionals in which the prophets of our day spoke to the student body. I remember the first time I was in the same room as the prophet was during one of those devotionals in which he spoke. It was my freshman year at BYU. Our teachers let us out of class early so we could get there in time and we had to wait forever to get in and get seated. The Marriott center was crowded and noisy with thousands of students, but as soon as he walked in the room fell silent and everyone stood in reverence. I felt the Spirit wash over me and I could not hold back the tears. I don't think I have the words to really describe it but I felt the Spirit testify to me with such strength that he was our prophet, that he was ordained by God and communed with Him in our behalf. I felt so much love, gratitude and reverence for him. And then, just like always, he waved his cane as we sung in unison "We Thank thee Oh God for a Prophet". I will always remember that tender experience and hold a special place in my heart for him.

I like the words of Orin Hatch,"His life was a true testament of service, and he had an abiding love for others. His wit, wisdom, and exemplary leadership will be missed by not only members of our faith, but by people of all faiths throughout the world." I will always be thankful for President Hinckley. He was a great prophet. 1910-2008