Like many of you, I woke this morning to the news that LDS President Thomas S. Monson had passed away. In a time of much political news and headline grabbing, this sweet man’s passing overshadowed it all. I think that is as it should be.
President Monson showed by decades of faithful service that at the end of the day — or at the end of our days — what really matters is not what titles we held or what worldly accolades we amass but how we care for and reach “the one.”
He did not need to campaign, throw elbows, threaten, bully, intimidate, calculate the cost or evaluate what political advantage he might gain by taking certain positions. He just did what needed to be done, often quietly and certainly without fanfare. I love his three steps for a successful life: “First, fill your mind with truth; second, fill your life with service; and third, fill your heart with love.”
To me, President Monson will be remembered for his optimism and his humor. I mean who can forget the ear wiggling? Or the time Kim Kardashian quoted him when he said “Your future is as bright as your faith.”
He was not afraid to take a stand, but he always did so with kindness.
“Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved,” he said. He lived that maxim and it showed.
As the leadership of the church moves in an orderly fashion, presumably to Russell M. Nelson, there once again will be no campaigning, no promises of appointments or access, but faith, humility and prayer.
Each LDS president brings his own “flavor” to the presidency. I hope that President Nelson continues in the vein of his October 2015 LDS General Conference talk, “A Plea to My Sisters” where he made strong statements about the power of women in the LDS church today.
“The kingdom of God is not and cannot be complete without women who make sacred covenants and then keep them, women who can speak with the power and authority of God,” he said.
He spoke of his first wife, Dantzel, who told him to quit crying and get back to work figuring out complex cardiac surgeries and how his current wife Wendy has been speaking up for years. He said that the church needs the women to speak up and speak out, something that hasn’t always been encouraged or accepted. With the influence of his wife, Wendy, and under President Nelson’s leadership, I am hopeful Mormon culture can begin to more fully match Mormon doctrine.
Wendy is an accomplished author and educator and will continue to be a force for good. She is one of my favorite authors and has a powerful way with words. With a Ph.D. in family therapy and years of experience in private practice, she provides powerful optics for LDS members who might wonder about the role of women and education or the role of women, period. One of my favorite books is hers, titled “Change Your Questions, Change Your Life.” An entire book about the value of asking great questions — imagine!
Here’s to President Monson, to a life well-lived and worn out in the service of others. “Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family,” said he. Amen.
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Holly Richardson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Holly Richardson is a columnist for The Salt Lake Tribune and an active, believing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is always grateful for reminders about what really matters.