I wish the First Presidency also did the same closing hymn with the videos for President Monson when he passed on. I literally shed tears as the videos of the life of President Hinckley followed the closing hymn. It's so touching and uplifting.
He was very courageous and faithful. It is so hard to keep working when you are not in a good health. He was facing cancer and he will still be doing what the Lord has command him to do. He was truly a prophet of God.
That was the longest opening to a service I have seen in my 40 years of being LDS...almost a half hour! Although Spencer W. Kimball was the prophet when I was born, President Hinckley was the prophet for most of my growing up, for going on a mission, and for graduating from BYU-Idaho. A few months before my graduation, a buzz went around campus that he had passed...I had to verify this of course (BYU rumors are a dime a dozen) and was saddened when I saw the truth. 🌷