A Man for the Ages

I liked it today when President Monson said of President Hinckley, "Now he belongs to the ages." That's what Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, said right after Abraham Lincoln died. In fact, those words are carved into the marble at Abe Lincoln's tomb. Like President Lincoln, President Hinckley had an important mission on this earth--and a large responsibility and burden to bear, which he bore with a smile. President Hinckley is not as widely-known as President Lincoln right now, but hopefully someday more people will understand the true and eternal importance of President Hinckley's role as a prophet of God on earth. Both were great men, and now, they both belong to the ages.

General Conference was really great today! I especially enjoyed President Monson's stories about his ancestors. He talked about the "legacy of total dedication" he received from those who endured everything imaginable and still kept a strong testimony of the Church. I also liked hearing that this October he and Sister Monson will have been married for 60 years! October is a great time to get married--that's when Mom and Dad got married, and that's when Greg and I will get married :-) I also especially enjoyed Elder Ballard's talk about mothers. Elder Ballard used to scare me a little bit when I worked at the MTC and he would call to check on our progress with the new missionary materials. But he does not scare me any more. It was neat when he said today, "There is no role in life more essential and eternal than motherhood." Moms are the best! And dads! I love General Conference weekend.

Today in between sessions I went over to Dr. Small and Mr. Riccio's house to visit their horses. These are the horses, you may remember, that they rescued from the mean guy who was starving all of his animals. The horses used to be really scared of people, but they are doing so much better! They are very sweet girls, and today I got to brush them, braid their tails, and get some mud off their tummies that had become stuck in their hair. It was a regular horsie spa! Mr. Riccio and Dr. Small were grateful for my help, and we had a nice time enjoying the beeeeautiful spring weather outside and drinking orange juice. Mr. Riccio was sure to remind me that it would have been at this time of year that Sarah Bush Lincoln (Abe's step mom) would have walked over to their house (which, at that time, was owned by the Lincoln's doctor) to get "bled" with leeches. I'm glad medical practices have changed.

Last night I had a dream that my classmates and I were on our spring field trip, and there were bunk beds in our motel rooms, but there weren't enough for everyone. So, I got stuck on a top bunk with Alisha. While we were both still awake, she kept trying to push me off the edge of the bed to the floor below, but I kept pushing back until finally she fell asleep. It was soooo funny! When I woke up I was trying to figure out the meaning behind the dream, but all I could come up with was that Alisha always likes to be at the top of everything---by herself :-) Well, I'm off to do some reading and watch part 5 of "John Adams" later tonight.