President Hinckley's Viewing

Yesterday and today were the viewing days prior to President Hinckley's funeral. Although I went to President Howard W. Hunter's viewing as a teenager, I didn't think I would even try to go to President Hinckley's. I figured the lines would be so long and it would be hard with kids. Then yesterday as I saw it on the news I thought about the church members all over the world. Some traveled days and waited in lines for hours to see him when he visited their part of the world. I thought about how some of those people would have given all they had to be able to come and pay their respects to our beloved prophet. Here I was a little more than a half hour away from it and I wasn't even going to bother to go. So I changed my mind and made plans to go today.

I met up with my cousin Julie and her kids. We left the youngest kids at my other cousin Kristy's house (she went to the viewing yesterday and offered to tend.) We arrived at the conference center around 2:15. The line didn't look too bad. It took a little less than a half hour to get to the front doors. At last, we were inside the lobby/foyer area. That wasn't too bad, I thought to myself. Then we followed the line through some doors and into the main hall of the conference center. Wow, that's why the line was moving...they were seating all the people in the seats to get them out of the cold (because of course it snowed AGAIN last night.) The lower level of the conference center was completely full and we were in about the third section of the mezzanine level. They were playing a recording of President Hinckley's 90th birthday celebration on the big screens. We watched the remainder of the conference center slowly fill up as the lower level slowly emptied. We watched that part closely as we knew when that was empty we were pretty close to going.

About an hour after we had been waiting they stopped the movie that was playing so that two of President Hinckley's daughters could address us. They thanked everybody for coming and said how touched they were at the turn-out. They especially thanked parents for bringing their children. They said how he would have liked that children came. They did say that if he had been here and seen all the people he would have wondered what the fuss was about. Sister Virginia H. Pierce told a story about three years ago when they were going to a viewing of a mutual friend, she and her husband drove their car while President Hinckley rode in a car with is security guys. He waited for her inside and when she finally arrived through the viewing line he said to her, "Finally, there you are, where have you been?" She said how she explained to him that normal people have to park their cars, walk, and wait in lines. Something he hadn't done for many years. They joked that this lack of parking cars and waiting in lines is what kept him strong and healthy for so many years. Then they joked that we have taken a couple of years off our lives to wait in this line today to see him. I felt honored that they would speak to the crowd.

All in all we waited inside the main hall for about 2 hours. The kids were pretty well behaved considering we had no idea it would take this long and of course had nothing for them to do. After we left the noisy main hall, we were ushered upstairs. There it was so quiet and reverent. I was touched by the beautiful flowers as we entered the hall. Some had ribbons on them that read, "Great-Grandfather," "Father," "Grandpa." A beautiful flower arrangement was from the First Presidency and of course one from the Quorum of the Twelve. I felt a very strong spirit as we walked past the portraits of the Quorum of the Twelve and then the portraits of the first Presidency. I couldn't help but be a little choked up when we came to his casket. He looked so peaceful and I thought to myself. "I am looking at an actual prophet of God, what an honor." Alyssa was with me and she was so reverent. I know she doesn't understand all of this, but I will write about this in a journal I keep for her and hopefully someday it will mean more to her. I was also touched by the portraits of him and his wife Marjorie as we were leaving.

As we walked outside at about 5:00 (two hours and 45 minutes later) I was utterly astounded by the number of people waiting to get in. Every square inch of open space out on the plaza was filled with people. The line zigged and zagged through every single open space. When every bit of open space on the plaza was full the line went literally around the building. That doesn't include that after the people now entered the foyer area inside the building they no longer went straight into the main hall, now they zigged and zagged through every bit of open space on two levels of the conference center. I guess it only shows that this man was no ordinary man. Besides all the other things in my life that have testified to me that there is a prophet of God on the Earth, this will be one more.

I thought when I left today that I would probably gone a couple of hours. I had no idea this would take the whole day. Would I do it again...absolutely.

One final note, the above photo is from lds.org, I did not take a camera and take pictures there.