A sweet rememberance

We have been talking non-stop about Gordon B. Hinckley this week. Luke has wearied me with questions about where he is now and what would the prophet do if. I have racked my brain to come up with more and more stories about President Hinckley. I also pulled out that sweet Family Home Evening binder Emily MacKenzie Donaldson made for us with teachings from the prophet's life. Luke has insisted on FHE every night this week. I also found myself reading articles on the internet and then having to explain to Luke that my tears were happy tears.

He came to me at one point and said that we could still do what Gordon B. Hinckley wants us to do, even if he is dead. Luke also decided that President Hinckley is as good at teaching people to be nice to each other as Mr. Rogers is. (Sidenote: we also told Luke that Fred Rogers is dead this week. He took it well and asked if he was with the prophet. I ventured a guess at yes.) He has asked questions like, “Why did Gordon B. Hinckley get old?”. He also told me that I was turning 30 this year and that was really old, probably older than Gordon B. Hinckley. This has been the best introduction to death that I could have thought of. He has been so inquisitive and sweet through this whole process.

He was also REALLY mad at Thomas S. Monson for taking his place. He told me that if he saw a statue of President Monson he would just push it over. This wasn’t so sweet. But, it is understandable. Luke, like most three year olds (and some older ones too), is resistant to change. President Hinckley is the only prophet he knows and his little three year old mind can’t imagine another leader to love. His reaction reminds me a little of the stories of the early saints that didn’t know what to do when the prophet Joseph died. They were, like Luke, children in the gospel and inexperienced in the ways of succesion in the church. I prayed that Luke’s heart would be touched.

This afternoon we went over to the church to watch President Hinckley’s funeral. It was beautiful. Noah was a little restless but perked up and paid attention to all the songs, humming along in monotonous way. Luke whispered all sorts of questions throughout the proceedings. He wanted to know why they put President Hinckley in a box and who put all those flowers on it. I told him that Grandpa Lee and Spencer were in the audience and he wanted to see them instead of “those apostles”. When President Monson came on a scowl came across Luke’s face and he told me that he could never love another prophet. Then President Monson’s calm voice filled the chapel as he told the story of President Hinckley’s last hours of mortality. I whispered to Luke that Thomas S. Monson was one of Gordon B. Hinckley’s dearest friends. Luke was mesmorized, as we all are, at President Monson’s story telling. After he sat down Luke leaned over and told me, “I changed my mind, I can love Gordon B. Hinckley’s friends too.” Luke was able, like the early saints, to see the image of a prophet in his succesor.

I learned again this week that the spirit is able to do things that I absolutely can’t do with that child. I tried banning hate speech about President Monson but that just egged him on. He started saying mean things about all the apostles just to get a reaction from me. I finally started pulling him into my lap or holding his hand while I told him that I understood that he was sad and that I loved President Hinckley too and that I knew he would love President Monson as well. Then I just had to wait. President Hinckley’s legacy of miracles was touced upon beautifully in today’s services. Well, another small miracle was wrought today in the heart of a three year old boy sitting on his mother's lap in the Regent street chapel this afternoon.