The North Star

I went to bed on Sunday night before I heard about President Hinckley's death. At about 11, AJ came in, and said my name in a loud whisper a couple of times. When I woke up a little bit, he told me the news. I pretty much went right back to sleep, but every time I woke up that night to turn over or go to the bathroom, I thought, "President Hinckley is dead." And I couldn't help but feel a little glad for him.
I was grateful that he did not have to endure a long period of illness and disability where he could not lead the church actively like he has been. Just recently, he spoke to churchwide audiences at both General Conference in October and at the Christmas devotional in December. And, according to people who attended, he spoke at a regional stake conference just a few weeks ago. This contrasts with the long health declines leading up to death of our previous three prophets with whom he was working closely.

I also felt grateful that he could be reunited with his beloved Marjorie. It has been almost 4 years since she died, and whenever he talked about her, you could tell how acutely he missed her. He said this about her in General Conference, October 2004:

My children and I were at her bedside as she slipped peacefully into eternity. As I held her hand and saw mortal life drain from her fingers, I confess I was overcome. Before I married her, she had been the girl of my dreams, to use the words of a song then popular. She was my dear companion for more than two-thirds of a century, my equal before the Lord, really my superior. And now in my old age, she has again become the girl of my dreams.

I don't remember many specifics from President Hinckley's talks. To me, he was more of a on-the-ground prophet, travelling to meet with members throughout the world, and advancing the cause of Zion through specific projects. I remember the electrifying moment when he announced the small temples initiative, which would make the blessings of the temple so much more accessible to the members of the church. Our area here was a recipient of one of these temples. We also lived in New York City when, shortly after 9/11, he announced that he was determined to see a temple built there before he died. In 2004, the New York City temple near Lincoln Center was dedicated. When he became church president in 1995, there were 47 temples. Today there are 124. Those temples stand as a memorial to the life of Gordon B. Hinckley.

A few years back in our New Jersey ward, the primary children performed a song about President Hinckley which was based on various experiences throughout his life. The first verse describes how when camping as a young boy, he noticed that Polaris didn't move through the sky during the course of the night. The chorus continues this theme:

Be constant as the North Star, that shines for you and me
Anchored in the Gospel with pure integrity
Steadfast in your service to God and fellowman
President Hinckley has shown us that we can.

I think that this analogy is a great one for President Hinckley's life of devotion to Lord and to Zion.