Death and Taxes

President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away this Sunday. I haven't ever spoken to him, I've stood near him once or twice, and I think he smiled at me as he walked out of the Conference Center once after the Light of the World presentation they put on some years back. But I think it's safe to say we were strangers. Yet his passing has affected me to a degree that few outside of family or close friends could. I find myself reliving those moments where I got to see him in person, remembering funny comments he made, or reviewing words of counsel he gave that particularly struck me. I know he was a prophet, but he was also (as much as a stranger could be, I guess) a friend. I felt the love and concern he had for everyone, in the church or out. He was a great example of the kind of person I want to be, and yet he made himself accessible - he talked about his struggle with loneliness after his beloved wife passed, and how he wished he could just sit in his rocking chair, taking his pills and enjoying his grandchildren, but that he was given a work to do. It was that duality, the prophet of God who was just an ordinary man, that made him stand out to me. General Conference won't be the same without him. But the work he carried on is still moving forward. There will be another prophet called, and he will be just as much a prophet as Pres. Hinckley was. I won't let myself be one of those who "dies" with the prophet. I'll remember him and the things he taught while keeping myself open to what the next prophet teaches as well.



On a lighter note, we're in our new house! All that's left to do is hang the pictures on the walls, and get rid of all the moving boxes, and we're officially settled in. Getting into the house was a LOT tougher than I thought - all the paperwork you have to sign, the costs involved, the sheer number of things that can go wrong in the signing process are enough to overwhelm you. The most frustrating part was having to rely on people to get things done, and have them drop the ball. Things like your lender getting the interest rate wrong a week before you're about to sign on the house can cause more than a little stress. But it's all done, and we make our first payment in about 4 weeks. That, plus the fact that our tax return will be a lot bigger than I had hoped for, and my mom was found to be cancer-free (there was a bit of scare last month) have been huge blessings. I just hope I can keep things this together when the baby comes in August. Ah, the joys of adulthood. :)