Twinkle

Hinckley Two

"We studied the Book of Mormon in Sunday School this past year. Nonetheless I offer a challenge to members of the Church throughout the world and to ourfriends everywhere to read or reread the Book of Mormon. If you will read abit more than one and one-half chapters a day, you will be able to finishthe book before the end of this year. Very near the end of its 239 chapters,you will find a challenge issued by the prophet Moroni as he completed hisrecord nearly 16 centuries ago. Said he:"And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily comeththat ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God;and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you,which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, evenas one speaking out of the dust? ."And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true" (Moro.10:27, 29).Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe thissimple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have readthe Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes anadded measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walkin obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the livingreality of the Son of God."Given in the August 2005 Ensign (Ann Snider --Kearney, NE)

I think it was interesting what Sheri Dew said yesterday in an interview. She said: "We were able to follow him because we knew that he loved us. That he truly loved us." That was so true! What a great example for us. (Ann-Nebraska)

One of my favorite quotes is a short and sweet one: "In all of living, have much fun & laughter, life is to enjoyed, not just endured." Great advice from a man who not only endured to the end, but was also joyful for most of those 97 years, even in the face of the sorrow of being left behind by his beloved Marjorie. I will miss President Hinckley greatly. I was blessed to have a strong confirmation that he was the man that the Lord had chosen to be his mouthpiece at the time of his sustaining and I am grateful to have had that re-affirmed every time I sustained him by raising my right arm to the square or by answering the corresponding question in my temple recommend interviews. He will be greatly missed, but for only a season. . . . (posted by Ferrill)

PRESIDENT GORDON BITNER HINCKLEY June 23, 1910-January 27, 2008

(This is just part one of the wonderful, amazing thoughts and quotations about President Hinckley. I will post more this week. Hopefully, you can hightlight these thoughts, cut and paste them to create your own memorial of this wonderful prophet. Add your special thoughts and insights to make this memorial your own. Record your son's and daughter's and parent's and friend's thoughts about the prophet to include as well.)


The following quotations and scripture was printed on the back of President Hinckley’s funeral program yesterday.

• 
  "We must never adopt a holier-than-thou attitude. We must not be self-righteous. We must be magnanimous and open and friendly. We can keep our faith. We can practice our religion. We can cherish our method of worship without being offensive to others. I take this occasion to plead for a spirit of tolerance and neighborliness, of friendship and love toward those of other faiths." (Gordon B. Hinckley, Pioneer Day Commemoration, July 22, 2001)

• May the Spirit of our Lord accompany us and remain with us. We know not what lies ahead of us. We know not what the coming days will bring. We live in a world of uncertainty. For some, there will be great accomplishment. For others, disappointment. For some, much rejoicing and gladness, good health, and gracious living. For others, perhaps sickness and a measure of sorry. We do not know. But one thing we do know. Like the polar star in the heavens, regardless of what the future holds, there stands the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith." (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 2002, 90)

• 
  "May there be peace and harmony in your homes. Husbands, love and treasure your wives....Wives, encourage and pray for your husbands....Parents, treat your children with great kindness....
• 
  "Now, as we separate for a season, God bless you, my beloved associates. I so pray, and I say good-bye, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 2007, 105)
• 
  "I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." (John 11:25)

* * * * *

The time has come for us to stand a little taller, to lift our eyes and stretch our minds to a great comprehension and understanding of the grand millennial mission of this The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is a season to be strong. It is a time to move forward without hesitation, knowing well the meaning, the breadth, and the importance of our mission. It is a time to do what is right regardless of the consequences that might follow. We have nothing to fear. God is at the helm. He will overrule for the good of the work.

* * * * *
We are all in this together, all of us, and we have a great work to do. Every teacher can be a better teacher than he or she is today. Every officer can be a better officer than he or she is today. Every father can be a better father. Every mother can be a better mother. Every husband can be a better husband, every wife a better wife, every child a better child. We are on the road that leads to immortality and eternal life and today is a part of it. Let us never forget it.

* * * * *
The trouble with most of our prayers is that we give them as if we were picking up the telephone and ordering groceries - we place our order and hang up. We need to meditate, contemplate, think of what we are praying about and for and then speak to the Lord as one man speaketh to another. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord" (Isaiah 1:18). That is the invitation. Believe in the power of prayer--it is real, it is wonderful, it is tremendous

With the ever-increasing number of converts, we must make an increasingly substantial effort to assist them as they find their way. Every one of them needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nourishing with the "good word of God" (Moroni 6:4). It is our duty and opportunity to provide these things.

* * * * *

The course of our lives is seldom determined by great, life-altering decisions. Our direction is often set by the small, day-to-day choices that chart the track on which we run. This is the substance of our lives---making choices.

* * * * *
Blessed are the meek. The meek and the humble are those who are teachable. They are willing to learn. They are willing to listen to the whisperings of the still, small voice for guidance in their lives. They place the wisdom of the Lord above their own wisdom.

* * * * *
In this world so filled with problems, so constantly threatened by dark and evil challenges, you can and must rise above mediocrity, above indifference. You can become involved and speak with a strong voice for that which is right.

• 
  * * * * *
  
  President Hinckley said: "[Jesus Christ’s] Atonement is the greatest event in human history. There is nothing to compare with it. It is the most fundamental part of our Father’s plan for the happiness of His children. Without it, mortal life would be a dead-end existence with neither hope nor future. The gift of our divine Redeemer brings an entirely new dimension to our lives. Because of our Savior’s sacrifice, instead of dismal oblivion, death becomes only a passage to a more glorious realm. The Resurrection becomes a reality for all. Eternal life becomes available to those who walk in obedience to His commandments" ( Australia stake conference satellite broadcast, Feb. 12, 2005).
  * * * * *
  
  Pres. Hinckley has been going nonstop for the duration of his presidency and even before as a counselor in the First Presidency for 3 past presidents of the church. One of my favorite stories of Pres. and Sister Hinckley comes from a friend while serving his mission in Russia. President and Sister Hinckley had been doing quite a bit of traveling, and as soon as Marjorie got off the plane and made it to the meeting, she was so done, that she was slouched over in her chair asleep as President Hinckley is giving his address to the congregation. I loved his humor, wit and compassion. He was such a great world face for the Church making all the appearances on talk shows to discuss the beliefs of his faith and never cowering from a question. I don't think there has been a better example of service, fulfilling callings, and looking for the welfare of every member of the church. I've only been in one General Conference session at the Conference Center, but just being in the same room as President Hinckley is something special. I loved how he didn't really use his cane, just to knight people, and wave. I will always remember President Hinckley as my prophet.
  
  
  "I believe in myself. I do not mean this in an egotistic way. But I believe in my capacity and in your capacity to do good, to make some contribution to the society of which we are a part, to grow and develop, and to do things that we may now think impossible. … I believe in the principle that I can make a difference in this world. It may be ever so small. But it will count for the greater good."
  Posted by Darby

• 
  He asks us to read the B of M. Boy, didn't that change lives. What a great year that was and how ourtestimonies grew and were strengthened."We studied the Book of Mormon in Sunday School this past year. NonethelessI offer a challenge to members of the Church throughout the world and to ourfriends everywhere to read or reread the Book of Mormon. If you will read abit more than one and one-half chapters a day, you will be able to finishthe book before the end of this year. Very near the end of its 239 chapters,you will find a challenge issued by the prophet Moroni as he completed hisrecord nearly 16 centuries ago.

Said he:"And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily comeththat ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God;and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you,which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, evenas one speaking out of the dust? ."And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true" (Moro.10:27, 29).Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe thissimple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have readthe Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes anadded measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walkin obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the livingreality of the Son of God."Given in the August 2005 Ensign (Ann Snider --Kearney, NE)

• I was happy to have the opportunity to think about my favorite things regarding President Hinckley. Here are two thoughts that blend into one.I have always loved this story because it is a great reminder to me that I need to stop thinking about what I want or what is easy for me and to "go to work" and do what the Lord has planned for me.Shortly after Elder Hinckley’s labors began in England, he became discouraged and wrote to his father. After reading that letter, his father’s wise reply closed with these words: "Forget yourself and go to work." Thanks to noble parents and a crucial decision to remain, Elder Hinckley completed his mission with honor. Now he often states that the good things that have happened to him since have all hinged upon that decision to stay.

• On his mission, he developed good habits of study, work, communication, budgeting, time management, and more. There he learned that nothing is too hard for the Lord. President Hinckley’s optimism made living the gospel easy. He made me want to follow his counsel and to keep the commandments…all of them. Even things that are hard can be tackled & I’m so grateful for his vision and leadership.President Hinckley called many people to serve, knowing that much is required of them. He understood the opportunities and risks. "Yes, this work requires sacrifice," he said. "It requires effort, it means courage to speak out and faith to try. … It needs men and women of solemn purpose." "We know that there are some limits on what you can do, but we know also that there need be no limits on enthusiasm, planning, thoughtful consideration, and effort." Posted by Janet Randall, France

President Hinckley's Funeral

The funeral today for President Hinckley has been tender and heartfelt. It has been a wonderful week watching programs honoring him on television, watching UTube tributes and different slides shows that people have forwarded to me. Thank you all so much! His is a life worth celebrating. I've cried and I've laughed today. I've taken notes and will share those and also the many quotations or thoughts that eveyone has shared tomorrow. Since we have company, I am not sure when tomorrow it will be posted.

One thought that made me cry today was a talk showing President Hinckley saying that when he was young, he met the girl of his dreams. And they had a wonderful life together. And now that Sister Hinckley has passed away, he said, "And now in my old age, she has once again become the girl of my dreams."

But not today. Not this week. We belive that families can be together forever so that is why we cry happy tears. Today President Hinckley has the girl of his dreams in his arms!

Random Thoughts

I had the most lovely birthday in the world. Thank you to many people who emailed. Jan was here in the morning for cleaning and she started laughing because I was no help at all....I stood by the ringing phone and just answered it and talked all morning. Lots of birthday wishes and a great variety of birthday songs. Just the best!

Lunch was so much fun! Great friends laughing and talking around the table (Chili’s) for hours! I’m trying to remember all the things we thought were so funny....the waiter was taking our drink orders and we’re already busy gabbing. He gets to Cathy and she said, "I’ll take the Caribbean salad too." We all just sat there quiet, then burst out laughing. No one had ordered the Caribbean salad (although we all eventually did)...he was taking drinks. Just dumb stuff.

Starting to get President Hinckley quotes coming in. Keep them coming!

On Monday, when I was driving in the car with Hallee and Addison, Hallee said, "Grandma, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

Hmmm.........it was just so innocent and sweet. I said, "Hallee Babe, I think maybe I’ve already grown up....but when I was little, I wanted to be a mom and a writer because I like to write things." She said, "I think I just want to be a mom 'cause I want to cook stuff." Great answer! I hope Hallee Babe and I can cook and cook and cook together. I see an Easy Bake oven in her future. Maybe we can attend culinary school together. We’ll do Iron Chef competitions together. Rachael Ray will have us as guests on her show. We'll pubish a whole line of Hallee Babe and Grammie cookbooks! Finally, I know what I want to be when I grow up.....

When we were driving, we drove past a high school. The weather was horrid but I noticed all these kids wearing dresses and white shirts and ties (of course, no coats!) going to the seminary building. All a part of a spontaneous tribute to the prophet. I guess a calling tree had gone on the night before. I was so touched. Ann, a blogging friend of mine in Nebraska, sent me a note this morning with her quote saying that she heard that Sat. people are planning to bring canes to wave along the line to the Conference center. Oh my, I’m teary just thinking about it.....

So, then we get to the kiddo’s house, in the snowstorm. As soon as Gracie gets home from kindergarten, we load up again and go to a drive-in to get lunch. Crazy, I know, in the snowstorm but the girls know that’s what we do when we’re together. It is all about the toy in the happy meal/kid’s sack/box/whatever. Gracie’s cheeseburger came with ingredients listed on the outside of the bag that I guess whoever took the order checks (Arctic Circle...Hallee wanted a corn dog.) I was amazed at how well Gracie was reading. She read "Cheeseburger. Lettuce. Pickle. Struggled with white sauce. Mustard. Then she spelled out onion. When I told her, she said, "Oh no, Grandma, will it make us cry to say it?" Totally sincere. We had an onion lesson a few weeks back. The girls were at my house and I was cooking, they were helping. I was chopping an onion and crying like a baby. Gracie was quite worried about why I was so sad and I told her onions made me cry. She didn’t get it so I held up the onion to her nose and told her to take a big whiff. Sure enough, now she "gets" onions! It was just startling to her.

Last night all the family except Ryan and Marci and those kiddos met for pizza at Rock Creek. I had called ahead to schedule the back room, knowing that our noise level could possibly shut the place down. We had the best time just talking and eating while the kids were running wild. Cousin love! Lots of darling gifts. Lots of kisses. David was concerned because he had flowers that were suppose to be delivered during the morning. He could see on the Internet that the courier had marked that they had been delivered at 10:40. No flowers. I was at the house until almost 11:30. So David kept making calls until he talked to someone (instead of multiple computers) who talked to the courier who said he left them by the mailbox. Hmmmmmm? Okay, why would anyone delivering flowers do that? I was expecting another birthday treat in the mail yesterday and walked out to the mailbox and counted 200 steps. We don’t live by our mailbox. There is a snowbank around the mailbox. Our road is plowed. Who would leave a bouquet of flowers sitting in a snowbank in freezing weather? Something is not right with this deliver guy/picture. I have a feeling I am getting flowers today.....

My last birthday visit ended last night about 9:30. Debra Nelson, in our Ward, (remember my friend that lost her daughter to skin cancer less than a year ago?) She came over with a card and we had the best visit. She is a focus leader over sewing where they have made the CUTEST ruffled aprons this past year and funky baby quilts and sewed African dolls for a humanitarian project. She told me about a couple of fabulous humanitarian projects that our Ward is doing this year....one is helping a little community in Nigeria. A Mother’s Without Borders foundation, is raising 1 ½ million dollars through boutiques and donations to build a school, technical center and I can’t remember the other building but also houses to house and school or train thousands of orphans. They will eat three meals a day! It makes me weep to think of children anywhere (and I believe this village is the tip of Africa’s iceberg which is a tip of the world’s...) without families, without food, without a place to live. We will be collecting or sewing clothing for the children. Debra has committed to 6,000 sewn tee-shirt dresses for little girls. (We will also be gathering clothing for the boys.) She is thinking that our Ward can do 1,000 but hoping that others will desire to get on board as well. She has the instructions which are simple....a tee-shirt where you sew a ruffle on the bottom to make a skirt. Please, please, please, if anyone reading this would like to be involved, I will provide better instructions. If your Ward RS would like more information, there is a video available. Our Ward is kicking this off this Sunday and we hope to get it done by September when we will start our Christmas humanitarian projects (which I will share later.) Debbie and I just sat here and cried together as she told me about miracles that have already happened, running into people where the Spirit has prompted her to ask if they would help. She said she can’t wait to see what miracles are just waiting around the corner.....I love to be a part of such miracles! I love being around women who jump at the chance to do good, whatever project it might be.

It is good to be alive!!!!

Unabashedly Asking for Gifts

I attended a BYU Women's Conference where a certain talk really affected my heart. It was a talk on "Not Taking Offense." One of the points was that other people are not mind readers. Oftentimes people are offended when they want something and think that other's should know by instinct what they want, and then are offended when they don't get it. It became a little joke in the family. I then told my children what I would like for Mother's Day. Surprise! I got it! And I loved it!

Tomorrow is my birthday. The day for gift giving. And I want something. I want something REALLY bad. And I don't feel bad about asking. Not a bit.

I miss Pres. Hinckley already. I woke up early this morning and started pulling up some of his talks so I can hear his voice again. I have already been worrying that my great-great-great's won't know, won't UNDERSTAND that this wasn't an ordinary prophet. Not that they aren't all wonderful- each brought their own gifts. But THIS prophet has been adored. THIS prophet has spoken to our hearts and souls. I want a memorial to him in my records to my great-great-great's. Will you help me?

For my birthday (I'm sorry I'm so blunt! Thank BYU Women's Conference for that one!) I would like you to share with me your favorite Pres. Hinckley story or quote. I know many of you will be like I have been already today, looking through past talks and thoughts because we don't want to let go of the man. Share them with me, please. We could have quite a collection and they could be something that you would then have as well. So your great-great-great's will know what a incredible man he was. Please share. Either in this forum or by email:

mdwillpoet@msn.com

Let's mourn together but lift together, laugh together, reflect together. I'll start it with one that I re-read this morning.

When President H. worked for the railroad, he got a phone call from Newark, New Jersey saying that a train arrived there without the luggage car and that there were 300 irate passengers outside demanding answers. This is what Pres. H. said:

"I went immediately to work to find out where it may have gone. I found it had been properly loaded and properly trained in Oakland, California. It had been moved to our railroad in Salt Lake City, been carried to Denver, down to Pueblo, put on another line, and moved to St. Louis. There it was to be handled by another railroad which would take it to Newark, New Jersey. But some thoughtless switch man in the St. Louis yards moved a small piece of steel just 7.5 centimeters, a switch point, then pulled the lever to uncouple the car. We discovered that a baggage car that belonged in Newark, New Jersey, was in fact in New Orleans, Louisiana—2,400 kilometers from its destination. Just the 7.5-centimeter movement of the switch in the St. Louis yard by a careless employee had started it on the wrong track, and the distance from its true destination increased dramatically. That is the way it is with our lives. Instead of following a steady course, we are pulled by some mistaken idea in another direction. The movement away from our original destination may be ever so small, but, if continued, that very small movement becomes a great gap and we find ourselves far from where we intended to go.

Have you ever looked at one of those 5-meter farm gates? When it is opened, it swings very wide. The end at the hinges moves ever so slightly, while out at the perimeter the movement is great. It is the little things upon which life turns that make the big difference in our lives, my dear young friends."

See this wonderful tribute in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Our Dear Prophet Jan.27, 2008

Monday will be a kiddo day. But I hope during the day I can find the time to write my thoughts about this great man. I don't want him to be just a picture my great-great-great's see in their Primary classes. I want my posterity to know that THIS was a prophet that was ADORED. He was OUR prophet. I LOVED him! He made us laugh. He wanted us to feel good about ourselves. He wanted us to "BE" better in all ways. He wanted us to not make ourselves nuts but to take one step at a time. He showed us how to have humor in a husband/wife situation. He helped us see that to be a man of God, a prophet of God, doesn't mean you can't laugh. Can you even BEGIN to imagine the happy reunion he received in Heaven today?!!! Can you even begin to imagine who would be there to greet him? Can you even imagine what Pres. Monson and his family are feeling right now? Our prayers are with them all!