Easter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFhS0dAduc

President Gordon B. Hinckley

President Gordon B. Hinckley

Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Today I attended the funeral of this great man via sattelite. Listening to the stories and hearing the fond memories the people who walked and talked with him daily made me want to know him even more then I do. What a legacy he left for all of us. I liked the way they stated it at his funeral, "That he left imprints on us all." He was a humble servent of the Lord, ready and willing to do his Father's will.

I loved his humor, especially since humor is a huge part of my life. He never missed a beat and always had something clever to say. It made me smile when his daughter said that many times he was laughing so hard at his own story or joke, that he had a hard time finishing it.


I loved listening to him speak. He was always so positive and spoke of the love that he had for each of us as well as the love Jesus Christ has for each of us. Repeatedly he would tell us to love and serve each other. He always urged us to live better lives, and to be bold and strong in our beliefs.

I had the opportunity to be in his presence a couple of times for conferences as well as firesides. On one occasion I had the honor to meet him and shake his hand. I was a couple of feet away when President Hinckley and his sweet wife walked by. The first thing I noticed is how short they both are. I felt like a giant!! The next was the feeling of the room: it had changed. I don't know if anyone could meet this man and not know that he was special and how close he is to God. When I shook his hand, he didn't let go of my hand for what seemed like a long time, especially for a handshake. I surley wasn't going to let go! I almost felt that he was scanning my soul. It was an awsome feeling to be so close to a prophet of God. His touch was gentle and his skin soft. His eyes were kind and loving. I was grinning from ear to ear, I could not have been happier.


He was a prophet of God but he was also a man, with a wife, and kids. The story I liked the most about President Hinckley is one that he tells........I was fixing the roof of our home when my wife came out and said, "You are 82 years old (I don't remember exactly how old he was, but it pretty close) you are going to fall and break your neck. Get down off of the roof!" He said "I did what any husband would have done. I ignored her." He was real and had nothing to hide.


It has been interesting watching my children digest the news of his passing and to witness their emotions and their sorrows. It has made me realize that we need to base our testimonies on the principle that we live in a time that God speaks to men through revelation and through his prophets and that I know that these men were prepared and called by God. I know this principle to be true and it doesn't matter who that man is, whether it be Joseph Smith or Gordon B. Hinckley, the Lord will always have a prophet to be His mouthpeice and do His will. I will miss President Hinckley but I am truly grateful to know that we will shortly have another prophet who will be chosen and called by God to lead and guide us through these troubling times.

A Great and Noble Man

President James E. Faust

Second Counselor in the First Presidency

passed away on August 10, 2007.

The funeral service held to honor this man was touching, to say the least. It brings me great comfort to know that even people like President Hinckley, the Prophet, struggles with the passing of a friend. Telling of all of the boards that they sat on together and looking for his friend and not finding him.

I love to hear these great men describe each other and use the names they refer to each other as. Like Thomas S. Monson calling James E. Faust, Jimmy! Or Jeffery R. Holland referring to President Faust as Gentlemen Jim or President Faust calling Elder Holland, Jeffery my boy! Normally, after one of their amazing General Conference addresses, you tend to think that they are so far out of my realm, but are they? These moments make them real people just like anyone else. They have the same random thoughts as everyone else, can get fired up about something, can laugh and cry, and can love so deeply.

It was so sweet to hear about him and his sweet wife, Ruth. How they were truly one. It made my heart ache for her. How hard it would be to lose a spouse after so much time together. James E. Faust certainly has made an impact on me as well as many in the church through his words and deeds.

If you didn't get a chance to watch it you can watch it at:

http://www.byu.tv/

Scroll to Tue. August 14, 2007, Education Week 12:00

Follow the prophet.......He knows the way

When Spencer W. Kimball was Prophet he encouraged members to plant a garden. One thing that I am thankful for is my parents always having a garden. Many wonderful memories of just going out into the garden and picking a cucumber, tomato or bell pepper and eating it. Also many not so wonderful memories of hard work shoveling manure, planting, weeding, and canning. But it was always worth it in the end...it all tasted so good; I can still taste them.

I have been married for over 10 years and every year that I have been married I have tried (notice that I didn't say successfully) to grow some type of vegetable for our "garden". Our harvest has always been less then bountiful, and we could never live off of what I have picked (well maybe for one snack). This year my luck might change. I went to a container class that we had for an Enrichment Activity and did exactly as the teacher instructed and she promised that by June 1st we would be able to have tomatoes. On June 1st we could have picked our first couple tomatoes, but we waited one more day. It was heavenly and reminded me of eating the vegetables out of my parents garden.

This year in our small garden plot we planted 4 tomato plants, 1 bell pepper, 1 summer squash, 1 zucchini, 1 butternut squash, and are planning to do some carrots. In the containers we planted 1 tomato, 1 cucumber, and 1 cantaloupe. I am so impressed with our little garden and how well it is doing! We will have to see how it fares through all of our summer travels, but right now it is happy!