Tribute to President Hinckley

I was waiting in line to get tickets to President Hinckley's funeral services early this morning, when a reporter pulled me from the crowd. I had wondered how he found me as I was standing in the middle of a crowd filled with taller people. I felt like a lone weed surrounded in a sea of Sequoia trees. I was using their height to my advantage to insulate me from the cold.

As I stood in front of the camera, I felt awkward and told him that a lady I was standing with flew in from Australia, having arrived just the other day to be here. I felt she had a better story to tell.

He asked me why I was there. I gave him a very terse but polite answer: President Hinckley means so much to me. It was my way of paying my respect.

Thinking about it now, I shouldn't have shirked from that opportunity. President Hinckley would have embraced that opportunity and made something good of it. If I could go back and be interviewed again, this is what I would say:

"President Hinckley not only taught me how to be a better person, he showed me how to do it. He inspired me to be better without belittling me. I have so much more to learn with more progress to achieve but I am a better person because of him. He taught me that there is nothing more valuable and nothing can give me more peace, joy and happiness, not gold, fame, or circumstance, than a personal relationship with the Savior Jesus Christ. He taught me that I can read and study the scriptures, and by praying, I can find the answers to my questions. I can have the courage to do what is right. I am here today because of him, hence I came to let him know that I made it and will continue to make something good with my life."

President Hinckley did what was right without fear of consequence but did not leave anyone behind. He was not egotistical but used his position of leadership to bring the best in those whom he met. I want to be like him, I hope I can and will work towards this goal. There is no better tribute to a man who taught me who Christ really is.


For videos of his funeral services, go to www.lds.org