What I Want Out of Life

One of my heroes is Sister Marjorie Hinckley, the late wife of former President Gordon B. Hinckley of the LDS Church, who also passed away this last year. From all that I observed and have read about Sister Hinckley, she was sincere, warm, humorous, didn't take herself too seriously, gentle, patient, and REAL. She was a dear friend of my mom's mom and is remembered in my family as someone who was thoughtful enough to call my Nana every time general conference rolled around, because she knew my Nana would be missing my Papa at that time (my Papa spent most of his life in service to five of the prophets of the Church as their personal secretary). Some of my favorite words to live by were penned by Sister Hinckley. If I can become the kind of person who does the things she mentions, I think I'll be in good shape (and hopefully in the company of good people like her) when all is said and done. See if these words don't light a desire in you to be a better person as they do for me. Enjoy:

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.

I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.

I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenck's lawn.

I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children.

I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.

I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and tears of a friend on my shoulder.

I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

~Marjorie Pay Hinckley
November 23, 1911 - April 6, 2004