Halloween with the Prophet

I have to admit, Halloween has never been a holiday I look forward too (at least for as long as I can remember). I'm pretty sure it started when I was a kid in elementary school. My teachers would devote a whole day to Halloween, including turning off the lights, shining a flashlight in their faces, and telling scary ghost/monster/zombie stories. I never did like those stories. Reason number 1: they gave me nightmares. And, come on, nobody likes nightmares.

This Halloween, however, has possibly been my best Halloween yet. "Why?" you may ask. Well, for one President Gordon B. Hinckley came and spoke at the BYU devotional today. Knowing that he was coming, I and about 1,500 other eager students, lined up before 9:oo am in order to get a good seat. And, in case any of you out there think Halloween is an evil holiday, President Hinckley was wearing a decorative pumpkin tie which he gladly showed off.

The words President Hinckley spoke, however, were just amazing. It was different in structure, though. He shared a series of events and experiences that he has had throughout his life. Some of them were short. Some of them were funny. Some were very moving.

He shared a poem that I especially liked. It is written by Rosemary Benet and is about Nancy Hanks, mother of Abraham Lincoln.

If Nancy Hanks
Came back as a ghost,
Seeking news
Of what she loved most,
She'd ask first
"Where's my son?
What's happened to Abe?
What's he done?"

"Poor little Abe,
Left all alone
Except for Tom,
Who's a rolling stone;
He was only nine
The year I died.
I remember still
How hard he cried."

"Scraping along
In a little shack,
With hardly a shirt
To cover his back,
And a prairie wind
To blow him down,
Or pinching times
If he went to town."

"You wouldn't know
About my son?
Did he grow tall?
Did he have fun?
Did he learn to read?
Did he get to town?
Do you know his name?
Did he get on?"

I took notes, but they wouldn't make much sense to you if I wrote them down. I strongly encourage you to read his talk from the BYU website, though.

Now, the second thing that I did today was attend a party. That's right, I went to a party. And I was dressed up. My roommates and I all dressed up as an 80's big hair band. I have to say I didn't particularly enjoy the wig, but it felt kind of nice being a little spontaneous. And, after today, I decided Halloween might not be so bad a holiday after all. (I'm sure my future kids will be eternally thankful that I came to this conclusion.)