A woman I'd liked to have met
I am reading a book called"Women of Character". It is a profile of 100 well known and some not so well know female members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. There are all kinds of women in this book. They come from all income levels, all educational levels, married and unmarried. There are writers, doctors,singers, actresses,a judge, a former journalist and a few full time home makers.
There is one woman among the 100 profiles that make up the book that I would dearly have loved to meet. Her name is Marjorie Pay Hinckley.
I know what many you you are asking. Who is Marjorie Pay Hinckley? Those of you who know who she is are probably wondering why I would want to meet her.
I'll answer the first question. Marjorie Hinckley was the wife of Gordon B. Hinckley, who was President of the LDS Church from March 1995 until his death in January of 2008. The reason why I would like to have met her is that, based on what I have read, she sounds like a "hoot". (As several of my friends would say.)
Let me give you an example, her profile in the book starts out with this story. When she was 25 years old with her wedding approaching her fiance, Gordon B. Hinckley asked her out to lunch. He was getting cold feet and was looking for a way out of the engagement. He told her that he only had 150 dollars. She said, "Oh that will work out just fine; if you've got $150 ,we're set." Looking back on it, that amount of money seemed like a fortune to her. Not only was she getting a husband, she was also getting $150 dollars. Doesn't that sound like someone you'd like to know?
Aside from being optimistic she was also very witty. In the LDS Church the President is considered to be a "prophet,seer and revelator". It would be easy to be overwhelmed by this or be caught up in the importance of this position. Not Marjorie Hinckley, when asked what living with a prophet is like, she said, "He leaves his towels on the floor and his tie over the couch." This is obviously a woman with a first class sense of humour. A article I read about her has another quote describing what she thinks of her husband's position. "How did a nice girl like me get in a mess like this.?"
She also had the respect and love of her husband. Sometimes when attending meetings together, President Hinckley would ask his wife to speak extemporaneously. Anyone of you who has done this knows that this is no mean feat. Sometimes she would start out her remarks by saying that her husband had not figured out what to say and that she was to stall. Even if this was true, it is a testament of his respect for her abilities and intelligence that he would request her to speak without preparation.
I also learned that she is tough and independent. One stereotype of an LDS woman is one who is submissive and meek. Like many stereotypes, this is wrong especially in the case of Marjorie Hinckley. Her husband began working for the Church after his mission and was often away leaving her to tend to the children and house. She fully admitted that she liked being in charge. I bet this was a great benefit to President Hinckley, to know that wherever he was that his wife and family would be safe and well.
The article quotes one of their daughters, "They're a great team." I really like that. I like to think that C and I are like that. The Hinckleys were married for over 60 years. That's a track record few can match.
The fact is that I admire her quite a bit. Her wit, kindness and optimism are all traits I would very much like to develop. I like the fact that although she was never able to go to college, something she regretted,she was considered to be his equal in every way. I am also willing to bet that she and her husband brought out the best in each other, something that I aspire to in my marriage.
The article mentions a time when President Hinckley was talking about their life together and began to weep. Marjorie Hinckley asked, "Has it been that bad?"
Apparently was was typical....
Information for this column taken from the book "Women of Character" by Susan Easton Black and Mary Jane Woodger and the article Marjorie Hinckley--'Every bit his equal' by Doug Robinson published by Deseret News 29 May 2003.
There is one woman among the 100 profiles that make up the book that I would dearly have loved to meet. Her name is Marjorie Pay Hinckley.
I know what many you you are asking. Who is Marjorie Pay Hinckley? Those of you who know who she is are probably wondering why I would want to meet her.
I'll answer the first question. Marjorie Hinckley was the wife of Gordon B. Hinckley, who was President of the LDS Church from March 1995 until his death in January of 2008. The reason why I would like to have met her is that, based on what I have read, she sounds like a "hoot". (As several of my friends would say.)
Let me give you an example, her profile in the book starts out with this story. When she was 25 years old with her wedding approaching her fiance, Gordon B. Hinckley asked her out to lunch. He was getting cold feet and was looking for a way out of the engagement. He told her that he only had 150 dollars. She said, "Oh that will work out just fine; if you've got $150 ,we're set." Looking back on it, that amount of money seemed like a fortune to her. Not only was she getting a husband, she was also getting $150 dollars. Doesn't that sound like someone you'd like to know?
Aside from being optimistic she was also very witty. In the LDS Church the President is considered to be a "prophet,seer and revelator". It would be easy to be overwhelmed by this or be caught up in the importance of this position. Not Marjorie Hinckley, when asked what living with a prophet is like, she said, "He leaves his towels on the floor and his tie over the couch." This is obviously a woman with a first class sense of humour. A article I read about her has another quote describing what she thinks of her husband's position. "How did a nice girl like me get in a mess like this.?"
She also had the respect and love of her husband. Sometimes when attending meetings together, President Hinckley would ask his wife to speak extemporaneously. Anyone of you who has done this knows that this is no mean feat. Sometimes she would start out her remarks by saying that her husband had not figured out what to say and that she was to stall. Even if this was true, it is a testament of his respect for her abilities and intelligence that he would request her to speak without preparation.
I also learned that she is tough and independent. One stereotype of an LDS woman is one who is submissive and meek. Like many stereotypes, this is wrong especially in the case of Marjorie Hinckley. Her husband began working for the Church after his mission and was often away leaving her to tend to the children and house. She fully admitted that she liked being in charge. I bet this was a great benefit to President Hinckley, to know that wherever he was that his wife and family would be safe and well.
The article quotes one of their daughters, "They're a great team." I really like that. I like to think that C and I are like that. The Hinckleys were married for over 60 years. That's a track record few can match.
The fact is that I admire her quite a bit. Her wit, kindness and optimism are all traits I would very much like to develop. I like the fact that although she was never able to go to college, something she regretted,she was considered to be his equal in every way. I am also willing to bet that she and her husband brought out the best in each other, something that I aspire to in my marriage.
The article mentions a time when President Hinckley was talking about their life together and began to weep. Marjorie Hinckley asked, "Has it been that bad?"
Apparently was was typical....
Information for this column taken from the book "Women of Character" by Susan Easton Black and Mary Jane Woodger and the article Marjorie Hinckley--'Every bit his equal' by Doug Robinson published by Deseret News 29 May 2003.
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