My Dear President Hinckley

My husband just called me from work. He was listening to the radio and they announced the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley. I hadn't been online yet. I'm so sad. Well, sad and not sad. He was 97 years old. He would have been 98 in April. That is such a long time to live. His beloved wife, Marjorie, died in 2004. They had 67 very happy years together and he missed her so very much. I am happy that they can be together again.
I was baptized a member of the Church in December of 1997. President Hinckley had been prophet for 2 years already. He is the only prophet I've ever known. It will be odd to have someone "new." But, on the other hand, I love President Monson so much. I'm assuming he will be called as the new prophet.
President Hinckley was a prophet of God. He taught and practiced love. He loved people of every color, creed and nation. He taught his people to show kindness to everyone. He truly walked the talk and lived the teachings of Christ. Perhaps I'm partial to the fact that he loved traveling to Africa. He thought temples there were one of the best achievements.
Here is the link to the announcement of his passing on LDS.org and Deseret News.
I learned a lot about marriage and family from President Hinckley. Here is the interview with his wife, Marjorie, where they talked about marriage.
And it seems no coincidence that this talk about children was his last official message to the members of the church. Please, please, read it. Even if you are not a member. If you have children in your life, please read it.
I'm so glad that he was allowed to lead this church for 12 years. I'm also glad that the Lord has a plan for what comes next. No worries. Now, to try and live what he taught for so long.