Free Writing – Thoughts on President Hinckley

I don’t think I’ve spent as much time the past few weeks thinking about President Hinckley as other people have. It’s not because I won’t miss him sometimes or because I don’t believe he was a prophet or anything like that, but I haven’t let my feelings dwell on his passing like so many others have. My wife and I attended church with my family last Sunday in Sandy, where we were visiting for the weekend. It was fast and testimony meeting, and, not surprisingly, many people stood at the pulpit and spoke about President Hinckley. Sunday School and Elder’s Quorum proved to be no different. Instead of having normal lessons, the teachers set aside the time for everyone to share memories of and reminisce about our former prophet. Many people cried, but I just didn’t feel it. In fact, I haven’t shed one tear since hearing of his death. I was recently comparing these reactions to my feelings about Heath Ledger’s recent death. I did not cry when I found out about the popular actor's passing either. In fact, the first thing that popped into my mind was, “I hope they finished filming The Dark Night.” This was very shallow of me, I know, but my next reaction was one of sadness. I don’t know the man or even know very much about him. I don’t know if he was a good person or not, but I was sad that he died so suddenly at such a young age. I think his family and friends will have a much more difficult time finding comfort than those of President Hinckley. I was happy when I found out President Hinckley had passed away. He knew where he was going and who was waiting there for his arrival, and I cannot imagine anything else making him happier. It would be selfish for me to feel sorrowful because someone else got just what he wanted.