January 29, 2008
President Hinckley died Sunday evening, on January 27th. The news didn’t come unexpectedly. He was 97. The years were starting to catch up with him (finally). Last general conference (October 2007), he actually used his cane to get from his chair to the podium — the cane he always carried simply because he was advised to. He carried it, but that was all. He was beginning to slow. He had worked so hard for so long and he missed his Margery so much. I hated the idea of him lingering on, forced to stillness, all while his mind yearned to be active and doing. I wanted to see him vital and vibrant to the end (which he was). Surely it was time for him to be called home.
So, the news was not only unexpected, it also came as a relief (as callous as it may seem) — even news of joy. Mormons are odd that way. Death is but a portal, a door through which we all must pass, and we know that the best is yet to come. So, when we think of President Hinckley being called home, we think of his reunion with his beloved wife, of his falling to his knees at the feet of the Savior. I can see him wetting his feet with his tears of joy and gratitude, humility and love, and our Lord bending down to raise him up, enfolding him in his embrace. Surely, he said, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
And so, we are glad, but still, sad for ourselves. How dearly we will miss him. How loved was he not only by adults and not exclusively members of the Church, but by all those who knew him. In the past two days, the outpouring of love and gratitude for him has been astounding. Youth from all over the world are standing for something. President Hinckley has invaded the unlikely realm of Facebook and MySpace, cyber communities primarily the domain of the high school and college students. Much of the content is worldly, sometimes vulgar, crude, and profane, espousing the value of immediate gratification and amorality. But tens of thousands of young people are using this medium to tell the world they love this great man, they will miss him, are grateful to him, and are openly professing the many ways he has touched their lives.
It is a difficult thing to imagine, such an outpouring of love from young people toward a 97-year-old man whom most have never seen in person and are of no family connection. But President Hinckley was true Christian charity and humble service. He strived to live and love as did his Lord and Savior, and we all, young and old, always knew how much he loved us and how hard he worked in our behalf. He especially loved the youth. He encouraged and uplifted them. He reached out and touched their hearts.
The secular press tries to explain him. They ask historians and scholars why and how he made such an impact on our lives, and they do their best to answer. They cite his lifetime of service and achievement, his 25 years at the helm of the Church, first as a counselor in the First Presidency and for the past 13+ years as the prophet, the phenomenal growth of the Church, the explosion of temple-building. They say he was a good and kind man, caring and intelligent and funny. But that is the best they can manage.
To understand him, one must know what is central to all. President Hinckley was and is a prophet of God. He received revelation in our behalf. He spoke the words of the Lord, and with those words came the confirmation of the Spirit that those things are true. He spoke the Lord’s message and it was always one of hope and joy and gladness. Amidst wars, famines and pestilence, earthquakes and mighty tempests, he always spoke of gratitude and optimism. I hear in my mind his voice saying ‘Isn’t it wonderful!’ I cannot say how many times I heard him use those words in illuminating the many gifts and promises our Father has in store for us, as well as those already showered down upon us. He always promised us the best is yet to come.
President Hinckley is beloved and revered by millions. He will be missed, remembered with tenderness and tears, but he will never be mourned. How can we help but rejoice for him? How can we help but say, ‘Isn’t it wonderful?’!
