I think all of us loved Sis. Hinckley, and her no-nonsense way of saying things.  I miss her. Back in 1999, in the Marriott Center, the three wives of the First Presidency and their oldest daughters shared stories about their lives. I have never laughed so much to hear Sis. Hinckley read off of a bunch of index cards. The following video shows the entire hour-long session, which includes Sister Ruth Faust and Sister Francis Monson, interviewed by their daughters. It is all well-worth watching, but you can just view Sister Marjorie Hinckley and her daughter starting at 41:19. 

If you want a good laugh … your welcome.

To enjoy more stories, you can read them in her book called Glimpses into the life and heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley. I thought it might be fun and inspiring to hear some of her thoughts, advice, and testimony from her book.  Enjoy!

“Wouldn’t life be terrible without the gospel? It wouldn’t be worth the hassle; really it wouldn’t. If it weren’t for the gospel we just couldn’t face it. There is so much of hardness to face that if it weren’t for the gospel I don’t know what would become of us. The gospel’s true. I’ve seen too much and experienced too much in my life to ever deny it. Everyone needs the gospel.”

From a letter she wrote a granddaughter:

“We gather that these are rather stressful days for you, but even this will pass away and the lessons learned will be a future blessing.  There are some years in our lives that we would not want to live again.  ‘Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days.’  (D&C 24:8)  End of sermon. You are loved.”

Speaking to an audience:

“We are His children, and if we ever got that through our heads thoroughly, understood that completely, we would never do a small thing, we would never say a cross word, we would not use bad language, we would not criticize anybody, we would love everyone the way the Savior loves us.”

Writing a letter home:

“Wednesday we went to a department store—the finest in Tokyo.  We spent 3 hours there.  It sort of makes ZCMI look pitiful!  We ate lunch in the store, which was an experience in and of itself.  They were serving about 1,000 people at once, and there was no such thing as getting a fork or spoon, so I had to manage with the chopsticks.  I made it to the bitter end but found I had an audience.  But I am getting used to that now.”

The wisdom of a grandmother:

“What is with this boy thing with your girl?  Utterly disgusting at the 6th-grade level.  Maybe you had better paint some freckles on her face and black out a front tooth.”

The voice of a prophet’s wife:

“There is something about spirituality that is central to the life of a woman.  I do not mean the kind of spirituality that only takes you to church on Sunday.  Sitting in church will not necessarily make you into a Christian anymore than sitting in a garage will make you into a car.  I am talking about the kind of spirituality that makes you behave like a child of God.  I am talking about the kind of spirituality that breathes reverence into every act and deed.  I am talking about the spirituality that makes you loving and grateful, and forgiving, and patient, and gentle, and long-suffering.  I am talking about the kind of spirituality that compels you to get in touch with your Heavenly Father every single day of your life.”

Speaking to women:

“Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans.  This is a time of great opportunity for you to build the kingdom.  When you teach children to love their Heavenly Father, you have done one of the greatest things you will ever do.  If you can be a full-time homemaker, be grateful.  If not, you must do what is best for you.  I for one have never felt a need to apologize for my role as a full-time homemaker.”

She was always very real:

“And now to my peers.  On my seventieth birthday, I repeated to myself all day long something I heard Stephen L. Richards’ wife say when she was in her nineties.  She said, ‘Oh, to be seventy again! You can do anything when you are seventy.”

A letter to children back home:

“This is a very different trip for us.  Dad has no responsibilities and goes around in grey slacks, blue shirts, and blue blazer.  I scarcely know him.”

A thank you note to a grandchild:

“This was a letter to warm my heart.  This was a letter to make any rough roads we might have traveled to reach age 77 worth it all.  You gave me a Mother’s Day supreme.  A wonderful letter and a phone call.”