I saw this in my Google Reader from the LDS Newsroom feed this morning:
SALT LAKE CITY | 2 Dec 2008 | Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, the oldest living apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died last night, age 91. Elder Wirthlin had gone to bed at his Salt Lake City home, and died peacefully at about 11.30 pm of causes incident to age.I immediately went to tell Natalie. Here's our conversation:
Me: Elder Wirthlin passed away last night.
Natalie: I was thinking about that yesterday.
Me: Huh?
Natalie: Yeah, I was looking at the picture of the First Presidency and thinking how young they are and that Elder Wirthlin is the oldest of the apostles now, and he might be the next to go.
Me: Great timing.
Natalie: I hope it's not my fault.
I've looked up to Elder Wirthlin (along with the other members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) for as long as I can remember. His conference talks didn't always excite me. You know, sometimes the delivery of a speech by a an elderly man isn't the most thrilling thing for a teenager. But when I learned to listen and appreciate the content of those talks, there was no going back. I found that I could relate to Elder Wirthlin. I loved his sense of humor! I loved his sense of duty. I loved his sense of love.
Of all the talks I've heard him give, perhaps the most unforgettable was his conference talk given in October 2007, titled, "The Great Commandment".
Here was a great man of small stature teaching about the pure love of Christ and the power of that love when we make it a part of our lives. I remember Elder Wirthlin shaking like a mighty oak in an east wind--shaken, but not moved--with Elder Nelson standing by his side. It wasn't just a talk about love, but his perseverance in delivering his talk was an example of love. I remember thinking then that it would be a wonderful last conference talk. I guess living like Elder Wirthlin lived, any talk he gave would be an appropriate last conference talk.
Elder Wirthlin was and is a giant in my eyes. Not for his size, but for his great capacity to love and convey that love.
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1 comment:
you've often been my source for Church news; from your message board in 104 i learned that elder haight passed away. and as soon as i saw your post title on my blog, i presumed elder wirthlin had passed away.
well spoken, manfriend. i was just listening to his recent conference talk. when elder holland spoke after him, he noted that there is no one more beloved among the general authorities than joseph b. wirthlin.
when the new first presidency was called, i seemed like the start of a new generation. and not just in the first presidency; from 1995 to 2004, there was no change in the twelve or first presidency (the longest in the latter-day history, i think). now, in the past four years, five of those fifteen have now gone home as good and faithful servants.
your blog playlist featured "dead man's party." and what a party to be at. = )
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