Meridian Magazine published an interview they had done with President Monson's biographer, Heidi S. Swinton. This is one of my favorite stories she shared....
Meridian: What would he say were some of the most pivotal moments in his life?
Heidi: I asked him that once and he was quick to respond. He told the story of him as a young bishop being called by a boy who lived in his ward who was staying with his uncle. The uncle had been taken to the hospital and he wanted to see the bishop and could he come right now? President Monson said, yes I can come. He had to go to a stake meeting that night and then he would go to the hospital. He went to the stake meeting and he is sitting on the stand in the choir seats and the Spirit prompts him to get up right now and go to the hospital.
He looks around at everybody sitting there in that meeting and looks at the stake president speaking there and wondered if he could get up and walk out. He determined, no, I’d better stay here. This would be so rude. So he stayed in his seat and the meeting continued. Then the next person was speaking and the prompting came again, “Get up right now and go to the hospital.” He sat there and looked around and said, “I’ll go as soon as the meeting is over.”
The meeting ended and he bolted down the hall and out the door, got in his car and raced up the hill to the old Veterans’ hospital. He ran in, ran up three flights of stairs, not even waiting for the elevator. He raced down the hall. He’s 22-years old—a young bishop. There was a little cluster of people at the door of the room. He stopped at that door and a couple of others were standing there. One said to him, “You must be Bishop Monson.”
He smiled and says, “I am.” She continued, pointing to the man in the room, “He was calling for you as he died.”
When I asked President Monson, what was that pivotal moment, that was the story he told me. He said, “The Spirit prompted me to get up and I waited. That man needed to talk to me.” Then he always says this great line. “That lesson was not lost on me.” He said, “Never again would I dismiss or postpone a prompting. I have heard promptings and calls from the Lord when I’ve been in meetings and had to get up and excuse myself. I picked up the phone and made a call at just the right moment when someone needed me.
“I have learned when the Lord has an errand to run, He can call on Tommy Monson and I will go.”
That’s indicative of his whole ministry. He learned a hard lesson there. He tells that story with such soberness that you know it went down to the very core of who he was and he would never let that happen again.
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also...
Instead of flowers-- suggested donations to either Missionary fund or Humanitarian fund. Easy Peasy if you have a credit card. There are lots of things to love in this modern age and this is certainly one...immediate and super convenient!
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Humanitarian Aid Fund or the Church’s General Missionary Fund at give.lds.org/monson.
2 comments:
Once in a while I come to your blog--to be uplifted, to see what's going on in your life, to gain some words of wisdom, to feel good. I am never disappointed. It is so strange (dare I say "odd") to have only met and been with you a short hour long ago, but to feel like you are a dear friend.
Sweet Maxine...it sounds "odd" but you are right...one brief unplanned meeting of sharing our love for RS and here we are friends after all of this time! Our own special link from a shared life before earth life and that makes it a special connection. I really appreciate knowing that you check out my blog and get caught up. You are loved by me.
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