as some of you may or may not know, i was mormon for a few years in college and grad school. gordon b. hinckley, who has served as the president of the mormon church for the last ~12 years, passed away yesterday. i discovered this as i was glancing at the news on my lunch break today, and it left me in a bit of inner confusion for the rest of the day. pres. hinckley led the church the entire time i was a member, and as such, has had an impact on my life and a hand in shaping me, even if only a little, into who i am today. i admit, i feel like i have lost something...or maybe that a chapter in my life has now formally closed...i'm not quite sure yet what the inner confusion is.
i saw pres. hinckley speak for the first time in february of 2002. i don't know if it was something he said or the way he presented himself or what, but something struck a chord with me. a few years later i actually got to see him speak in person in hawaii. he had a presence about him that could calm you in an instant and he radiated good cheer. whether or not he is actually what members of the church believe him to be, he was a good man and inspired a lot of people to serve their fellow men. he will be missed.
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