We love you, President Hinckley!

With the recent passing of our dear prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, I have seen several other posts honoring him. It has given much opportunity to reflect and ponder upon his teachings, his sense of humor, his love he always showed, his testimony; I am grateful for these things. My first thought when hearing about his death (after the initial shock and confirmation that he really had passed away) was that I am glad he can be with his sweetheart again; I know he has missed her these past few years tremendously, and I am happy for him to be able to return to her. I will miss him here and am saddened for those of us left behind but happy for him.

I was trying to think of how to explain his passing to Jessica, who is old enough that she knows who he is at least. Monday morning, I was looking on the internet reading about him, and there was a picture of him up. I asked Jessica if she knew who that was. She told me who it was. I then told her that he had died the night before. She became very solemn and had a sad look about her; then she said, "Aww, but I LOVED him!" I said that I loved him too and that we would miss him but explained that he will be able to be with his wife again who had died a few years ago. She seemed to accept that and went on with what she was doing. I thought about her reaction, though. Even at 5 years old, she knew enough about the prophet to love him, and she could feel the loss, even if just for a moment. Oh, the faith of a child! I am grateful that she is learning about who and what a prophet is. I am also grateful for our knowledge of the plan of salvation and the Gospel so that we know what to expect next.

Thank you, President Hinckley, for your love and example and for your testimony! You will be missed here, but we are happy for you and are grateful for all that you left behind for us! We love you, President Hinckley! :-)