Thomas S. Monson

On Tuesday evening, our beloved prophet, Thomas S. Monson, graduated from this earth.  His life was a wonderful example of love, compassion, service and kindness.  He was witty and humble and could convey God's love through his stories and life experiences, like no other.  He was a true live hero.  We have loved this man for decades and he has led the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for the past ten years.  His life was dedicated to serving "the one".  He would leave a meeting to go and bless the sick or visit a widow.  What a wonderful, wonderful example of Christlike living! 

Here a few of my favorite quotes from President Monson:

May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.

We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.

Stick to your task til it sticks to you.  Beginners are many but enders are few.

It is better to look UP!

Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.

Kneel DOWN to pray.  Step UP to serve.  Reach OUT to rescue.

Decisions determine destiny.

Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient will remember them for a lifetime.

Never Postpone a Prompting!

When we treat people merely as they are, they will remain as they are.  When we treat them as if they were what they should be, they will become what they should be.

So much of life depends on our attitude.

If we choose Christ, we will have made the correct choice.

By learning of Him, by believing in Him, by following Him, there is a capacity to become like Him.

One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for failure never need to be final.

The Lord is in the details of our lives.

Choose your friends with caution, plan your future with purpose and frame your life with faith.

The past is behind, learn from it.  The future is ahead,  prepare for it.  The present is here.  Live it.

He was truly a man of wisdom with a heart of gold.  I had the opportunity to meet him in the early 1980s, by chance.  He was standing at a delivery drop-off area, down below, what was then, the Wilkinson Center, near the street that runs east of BYU. (It's been decades since I've been on the campus, (other than the MTC) so I'm not sure if it's at all still like that anymore.)   

But, he was standing there alone waiting.  This was long before security guards or a need for them or cellphones.  I was killing time, so I had walked out of the building to this rarely unoccupied side area, recognized him immediately and said hello.  We chatted for a couple of minutes, at most.  He told me His wife and daughter had gone shopping while he was on campus for business and they were not back yet.  He teased that he just knew that they were off having fun and probably forgotten what time it was.   He said that they "forget everything when they are together."   He was not angry or annoyed. He was able to laugh about it. It was seconds later that they pulled up.  He shook my hand, said "It was a pleasure to meet you", and was off.  I remember walking away, being grateful for that sweet insight to his personal life and also, thinking that Doug was that kind of husband, who would be happy I was having fun and not annoyed that he had to stand there alone waiting.  I'll cherish those couple of moments forever!

Since that time, all those years ago, we have had the privilege of standing when he entered the SLC Tabernacle and the Conference Center, as our living prophet, and singing the words "We thank Thee, Oh, God, for a Prophet" a few times.  What a choice experience to hear his words of wisdom in person and as we have watched General Conference from the comfort of our home.  We always sit up and listen when he speaks!  We are always prepared for a good story or two, examples of his life well-lived, as he shared experiences with widows and the sick and the afflicted.  What a wonderful man.  What a wonderful example.  What a wonderful life.  He will be so missed and his legacy will carry on.