Gordon Bitner Hinkley

After the passing of the Prophet I've seen a lot of pictures of him. Which has been a cool way to think back on him. To think of who he was and to remember and reflect on the great things he stood for.

One of my favorite pictures of him can found at Jim & Angie's blog (see the links on the side to get there). But I chose to share this picture above because it really made an impact on me when I first saw it. I can't say exactly why it did...except for the expression on his face as he waves. It is so kind and happy, as if to say "hey, I'm a normal nice guy...just saying hello" and its even better because he is with his wife.

One of my favorite memories of President Hinkley was reading his words in his book "Standing for Something" I read it on my mission and it was an easy read because it was so inspiring. And most recently it would be the talk he gave in priesthood session about anger, which Jill would tell you was specifically inspired by her prayers for me. In the talk He explained "he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty" and counseled us that we shouldn't be so easily offended in order to be happier. He said that we should leave our grudges behind and, simply stated, that we get into trouble when we get angry.

I remember when in an interview he said that he couldn't remember ever raising his voice to his wife or yelling at her. Maybe it was even Sister Hinkley who said that about him, I don't remember exactly, but it was true I'm sure. I wouldn't have believed it had it not been the Prophet. If there were a very small room reserved in heaven for those who never raised their voices to their spouses it would probably still be a pretty roomy room. I can think of many times I was ashamed for having lost my temper. That is one of those things that he made me realize that I can do a little better at. The "stuff I can do a little better at" list is kind of a long one though. Not as long as the "stuff I could do a lot better at" list, but I won't go into the details of either.

I really starting typing here not really thinking what I would say. Honestly I thought this would be a quick short post, but I'm glad that I've taken a second to write down a few things here. Its fun to think and write about President Hinkley. He has been the Prophet for most of my life and even though I have never met him I certainly feel like I know him pretty well and when I reminisce about memories of him or listen to other people share their thoughts and feelings about him it really is like talking about a good friend. One that I will miss very much. I loved him. He was really a great guy and an inspiration to us who want to stand a little taller and do a little more. He was a servant of God and what a blessing it has been to live in this time that he has been the Prophet. So here is a thanks to him for his great life and his contagious smile. Till we meet again.