President Hinckley

Gordon B. Hinckley died tonight at around 7 PM. I found out about an hour ago.

I remember when Howard W. Hunter died on March 3, 1995. I remember the date because it was three days before Libby’s 16th birthday – three days before we started dating (us being good Mormon kids and all – she more consistently than I). We skipped school that day for no other reason than we could (Libby had never done that before – I’ve always been a bad influence on her). We watched crappy daytime TV with some other sluffing friends until she and I got bored and walked from her house and climbed a foothill of Mt. Timpanogos. After enjoying the view, we walked back down to her panicked brother (who didn’t know where we had gone and thought we might have been attacked by a puma). We played video games and watched more crap until Libby, a friend named Michelle, and I decided to hijack Libby’s brother’s car to get some eats. Michelle got in the driver’s seat and started the engine, Libby called shotgun, and I was climbing in the back seat when Libby’s brother looked out of the window. I made eye contact with him, felt immediately guilty, and stepped out of the car so as to not take any more part in that tomfoolery. Michelle, though, had her mind on a quick getaway and gunned the car into reverse. The open back door I stood halfway out of scooped me along and crunched (I don’t have a better word) me into the post of the carport. I remember cognizing that I was going to hit the post, but the next thing I remember, I was lying on the driveway, holding my left arm against my chest, for any other position made it feel on fire. The door that crunched me remained open in an ungodly bent-backward shape. Michelle had stopped the car and everyone in and out of the house gathered around me. Long story short – I didn’t break a single bone – not even a bruise. We found out shortly after that President Hunter had died and that Gordon Hinckley was going to be our new Prophet.

Gordon Hinckley has been Prophet of the Church for the entirety of my relationship with Libby.

Today’s a Sunday. There’s too much I feel right now. I just spoke on the phone with my brother, my sister, and my best friend growing up (who’s been more Gospel-good to me than he’ll probably ever realize). I cried when I heard David Haight, and Neal Maxwell, and James Faust died. Tonight was no different. Look, I know the Church will go forward, I know President Hinckley was lonely and now he’s with his wife, I know all this, but I can’t help but feel a tremendous loss.

President Hinckley's been the behind-the-scenes and actual leader of the Church since the failing health of President Kimball in the 1980s (a leadership stretch outdone only by Brigham Young - David O. McKay was close). President Hinckley has dedicated more Houses of the Lord than any Prophet in any recorded history – EVER. He built the entire Church multimedia structure from the ground up. Radio, TV, internet, heck even the first filmed temple ceremonies were all under his direction. That a positive public image of Mormons even exists at all can largely be attributed to his early and consistent efforts in building the Church’s radio, TV, and other multimedia departments. He brought the Church its new Conference Center. He brought the Temple back to Nauvoo. He brought common sense back to Church governance (this’ll probably get me some flack). Three necessities for every member: friend, responsibility, and nurturing with the Word of God. Under his leadership, we got the Family Proclamation, the “Living Christ” testimony of the Apostles of the Church. We got the Perpetual Education Fund (possibly the MOST revolutionary economic practice of the church besides tithing and the Church’s sporadic dabbling with the United Order). There’s so much more, and other people and articles will laud him better than I.

The Church is so much greater now because of him and the world so much less now without him.