There is a man whom I revere more than any other man, except maybe my husband ; )
We got news on Sunday evening that he passed away at the age of 97. I knew it was coming but every time I think about it, I shed tears for a man that I never had the privilege to meet – and yet, regardless of his age, his passing broke my heart.
You may not even know who he is, but he has been a recipient of the
Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given a United States citizen.
Photo by Scot Facer Proctor
His family just knows him as “Dad” and “Grandpa”. When he was given the medal, he didn’t realize that it was meant for him as an individual — that’s just the kind of man he was.
Gordon B. Hinckley is a man among men and will be sorely missed by all who ever heard him speak to us about “Standing a Little Taller” and encouraging us to be better people. We will miss his wit and his wisdom, but we will have his words of love, care, and encouragement as a legacy.
If you want to find out how this man truly lived his life, and why he was such an influence and beloved leader, you can tune in to his memorial service via cable tv on BYUTV channel, Saturday Feb. 2 at 11:00 a.m. mountain time. You can also visit LDS.org to understand a little better who this man really was.
God be with you til we meet again.
Thanks to listener, Lauri, who sent me this link of Glenn Beck’s tribute to Gordon B. Hinckley; heartfelt and simply said: Glenn Beck.com.
I agree with your wonderful tribute to President Hinkley. This week when our home teachers came I was asked to give the prayer. And I thanked God for giving us him for so long.
My heart too is broken because he is gone, and I can’t seem to stop crying. I loved him so much.
Thank you for your words and that wonderful picture. BYU-TV has been rebroadcasting many of his talks this week, each one is a jewel and gives us something to think about and remember his wisdom and humor. Like you, knowing that his time was drawing to a close did not lessen the loss. He was a great man and the world and the church has been greatly blessed by his leadership.
Thanks for the link to Glenn Beck’s comments. That’s one I hadn’t seen yet. I plan to be watching the whole time tomorrow.
I just came across your blog, which I am finding so interesting, and saw this lovely tribute to Pres. Hinkley. Thank you for posting it. In this mornings paper was an article about him from an Associated Press writer. For all the facts it gave, it so totally missed the mark. I am in Virginia, but my granddaughter is at BYU and has a ticket to the funeral. What an amazing man he was. He truly did “Stand for Something”!