Last night, the Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Thomas S. Monson, passed away. I felt his passing merited a blog post here. I know it is outside what I normally write about here, but this was on of the truly great people alive today, and I feel it would be appropriate.
For my own personal journal, I have started a private blog, written each day as a letter to my kids. For this post, I have decided to share my entry for today.
A Letter to my Kids
Dear Kids,
Today was a bitter sweet day. We woke up to find that our beloved Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, had passed away late last night. He was the only prophet any of you have known up to this point. He became President of the Church in February of 2008, so John was only a year old, and we were just pregnant with Eliza at the time. It is crazy to see how much our lives have changed since he became prophet.
He was a good man, and the leader we needed as a church over the last ten years. He was an example of service and Christlike love. He was a strong proponent of reaching out to the one and helping them. He encouraged us to never ignore a prompting from the Spirit. These are some of the teachings I will always remember from this great man.
This morning, when I talked with you guys about this, John said he was sad because he really liked President Monson. I did too. Because this is the first time this has happened for all of you, it does feel sad. Let me tell you a few things. Number one, President Monson is now on the other side, reunited with the love of his life, Frances. I believe it was a very happy reunion. The other thing is that you will also love the next prophet. This has been my experience as I have grown up in the Church. We have leaders we love and sustain, but then they get released. When I seek out the Spirit, I always find that I gain a testimony and new love for our new leaders.
One thing I will always remember about President Monson is the way he told stories. He taught the gospel of Jesus Christ through the stories he told. And he did with warmth and kindness and just a little bit of humor. This video is one of my favorite President Monson moments. It is from his first General Conference as President of the Church. It is his infamous ear wiggle:
Another favorite moment of mine came when your mother and I are were on our second date. I had invited her to join me for a Sunday session of General Conference, and to my surprise, she accepted my invitation. We went. I believe it was during President Monson’s talk, that I looked over at her, and in that moment, I knew, she was the woman I was going to marry. I did not share that thought with her, however, because I believe it would have scared her off. This was wisdom on my part.
I am grateful for President Thomas S. Monson and his wonderful example. I testify that he was a prophet of God. I love him, and thank god for him. I will miss him, but I have a testimony that this Church, the Lord’s Church, is in good hands.
I love you all.
Love,
Dad
