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Apparently I don’t have money woes any more. My fortune cookie told me so:

Don’t worry about money.
The best things in life are free.

I’m sure the rest of my family will be glad to know that.

President Gordon B. Hinckley, Prophet of God and 15^th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints passed from this world to the next this evening, 27.Jan.2008, about 7 pm local time (midnight UTC).

He was a great man, a loving man, a man dedicated to doing the work of the Lord in building up the Kingdom of God.

I will miss him.

He has been a part of the scenery of my life since I was a youth. He brought humor and warmth to meetings I attended as a teen, when I wished I could be someplace more exciting—or at least, less uncomfortable. As a councilor to President Kimball, he made it so I could stand sitting in the hard seats and survive the meetings I attended. During his time as prophet and mouthpiece for the Lord, he spoke with power and conviction of simple, but important matters, focusing on the youth of today, and on Temples and the work done there for our ancestors.

It’s sad—for me—to see him go, having been one of the focal points of my life. At 97 years of age and with declining health, his passing is certainly not unexpected, and yet having been such a fixture, it’s still going to take a while before I won’t feel that twinge, realizing he’s not going to be the one speaking to us from the pulpit. He has had a “good run” though, and I’m sure he is happy to be reunited with his sweetheart, Marjorie. With the life he has led, I’m sure the Savior was there to welcome him home as well.

Yes, I will miss him, but I know he has “fought a good fight”, lived a great life, and goes on to join his fellow bretheren in continuing the work he dedicated himself to here on Earth.

He was—and is—truly a man of God. Fare thee well, Brother Gordon! Huzzah!