Saying Goodbye

When Bryson and I heard the news of President Hinckley's passing, we talked about the possibility of going to the viewing to pay our respects and say goodbye. Considering that we would probably have to take Davis with us, we thought we'd wait to hear how it went before we made our way to temple square. Bryson's mom went late thursday afternoon and was there for about an hour total. That didn't sound too bad, and Davis is easily entertained for an hour or two, so we thought we'd give it a try friday afternoon. Well, we got a lot more than we bargained for. To make a long story short, we were there for over 5 hours. At least 3 of those hours were outside in FREEZING temperatures and wind. As you can probably see from the picture I took on my cell phone, Davis was very warm in his marshmallow suit, hat, blanket, etc, etc. So, don't go calling Child Protective Services on me. Davis couldn't have been happier all night. Anyway, the lines were insanely long, and there were more people than you could possibly imagine. Given the cold and waiting for so long (in high heels, while holding a baby), you would think that people would have been a little testy, but that was not at all the case. We made friends with all the people in line around us, and everyone was so nice. Even the kids that were there were all so well behaved. By the time we got in to the actual conference center, they seated us for a while to wait. They had videos playing in tribute to President Hinckley that set the mood nicely. When we finally got to go see the prophet, it was pretty brief... we just got to walk by slowly... but it was so powerful. I kept thinking, "we thank thee oh God for a prophet." I was so thankful for this man and his amazing life. I was so thankful for all of the work and sacrifices he made for the Church and for all of us, and then I was so thankful that he got this much needed chance to rest and reunite with his sweet wife. The other sensation that was so powerful was that he really wasn't there. His body was there, looking so peaceful, yet so lifeless. It sounds funny, but that was strangely comforting to me. To know that there is so much more to life than just our mortal bodies. That the man we all knew and loved was not really gone, just somewhere else. It was a testimony to me of the eternal nature of our spirits. It was such a wonderful opportunity to say good bye and reflect. I will miss President Hinckley's sweet sense of humor and love, but I am grateful for all the lessons that he has taught me, even in his death.