still thinking of President Hinckley....

I love this picture video of President Hinckley with the music of one of my favorite singers. (Okay, fine, my favorite singer!) The song is very fitting to such an inspirational man.

goodbye our friend

This morning we got up early and went to the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City to attend the viewing of President Hinckley. It was an amazing experience. The best way I can describe it is like this; if there is anyone who doubts anything in the church, whether it be doctrine or whether President Hinckley is a prophet of God, then enter that room where we saw him today and I don't think those doubts will, or can, remain. I feel like my testimony increased a thousand fold.

As we were walking up to the building, Matthew reminded me that he has never seen the prophet in person. We try to take every opportunity we can to take our children to see him, and our girls have seen him many times, but since Matthew is only 7, and they request that no one under 8 attend conferences, etc., it is true that this was Matthew's first time to see President Hinckley. The first, and the last......for a while.

It was an open casket viewing. President Hinckley looked wonderful, but you could tell that his spirit was gone. He looked so peaceful.

The Conference Center had many photos; several of him and his wife, Marjorie, and more with his children and grand-children. There was one of him visiting a Primary last year. I loved that and thought how wonderful that would be to have the prophet visit OUR Primary!

There were beautiful bouquets of flowers from his family. One in particular really touched me. It was from his great-grandchildren. It was a very large and beautiful bouquet of multi-colored roses. The tag hanging from it read:

Dear Grandpa,
We will always be grateful, be smart, be clean, be true, be humble, be prayerful....because we love you.
Love, your great-grandchildren


Haylie and Matthew in the Conference Center after seeing the prophet. They are looking out a window that has a waterfall on the outside.


The Conference Center where the viewing was held and where the funeral will be held tomorrow. We were lucky to get there when the wait was short. Brooke and Raegan went down later in the day after school and waited 5 1/2 hours to get in. Early estimates say that over 50,000 people went through in the past 2 days.

The viewing was originally going to be in the Church Administration Offices. It seemed so appropriate that they changed it to the Conference Center. It was President Hinckley who received the inspiration for the Conference Center. It is because of him that this remarkable building is there. So it seemed fitting that not only his funeral should be held there, but his viewing as well.

It was the most gorgeous snowy day today. Here are a few pictures I took at Temple Square.

(this sign hung on a house across from the Conference Center)

....'til we meet again.

Our Beloved Prophet

I think anyone who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will always remember where they were when they heard the news of President Hinckley's passing. It was a day we all knew had to be coming, but for some reason I think that most of us believed that he would live forever. He would always be our prophet. We couldn't imagine the church without him. He just seemed to keep going and going and going.

I have worried in the past that I would be incredibly sad when he died, but instead we as a family have found that we are actually more joyous than sad. We are so happy for him! He is finally with his sweet wife Marjorie whom he has missed terribly. He is free from his old and tired body. He is with his Savior. How could we not feel joy?!

He will be greatly missed as he is a remarkable man. He has done so much everlasting good for the world. He is a true servant of our Heavenly Father.

We thank thee, oh God, for our Prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley.