Lunch with President Hinckley

When I heard the news last night that our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, had passed away, I instantly wanted to pay tribute to him on this blog.

I told Mr. Dub I wanted to open my comments to people's favorite memory or story of President Hinckley. When I asked myself what mine would be, I found myself thinking, "The time we had lunch together."

Only problem? We never did. Yet my mind could so clearly pull up an image of us chatting over a garden salad as we waited for our main course. He would ask about me and my life. I would ask him what I could do to be a better person and more charitable. We would laugh.

Part of this bizarre illusion, of course, is the result of my strange emotional state as of late. (How else can I explain how completely happy I am that he has died and finally gets to be reunited with his dear wife and take a break from his whirlwind responsibilities?) But I think mostly my pretend lunch date is a reflection of how close I felt to this man, who served as LDS Church president for 13 years and has been a member of the First Presidency since I was two years old.

I always felt like he knew me. I always felt like he understood my generation and our unique set of challenges. I appreciated his humor and easygoing attitude. I loved his ability to be kind and firm at the same time. I knew he was a prophet of God.

Now, we are going to have a new prophet. And while it will be so sad to see someone else in President Hinckley's seat, I have the faith and testimony that he will be called of God, as well. But he won't be filling President Hinckley's shoes; he will be wearing his own and making his own mark as an individual. And that's the way it's supposed to be.

I'll save my story about the time President Monson wanted to have me fired for a news story I wrote about him for another time. 'Cause that one is true, and I don't want you to think any less of the man who is most likely going to be our next prophet. (FYE: It ultimately made me respect him even more.)

Meanwhile, have I told you about the time I had lunch with President Hinckley ...

What's your favorite story or memory of this great man?