Wednesday night Tara and I were able to go a mid-week fireside at the ward (thanks to the Nursery for watching Kennedy - what a life saver!). Don Staheli isn't exactly a household name, but you've seen him in hundreds of photos over the years. Most of the time you simply see him as "that guy" who always seems to be near the Prohpet. Brother Staheli works as President Hinckley's personal secretary. What an amazing job! Throughout the fireside we were able to hear various stories of the 13+ years that Brother Staheli has worked along side the Prophet. I can't believe the draining schedule President Hinckley works (and makes Brother Staheli works as well). They've taken 2 or 3 days of a year for the past decade! I don't know how they do it.
In spite of the busy schedule, can you imagine the experiences Brother Staheli has had over his time traveling with President Hinckley. He couldn't share most of the stories, due to their spiritual nature. Still, the hour presentation provided us with some great insights into a great man. Some interesting facts about President Hinckley:
- He reads 3 newspapers a day (The Wall Street Journal, Deseret News, and Salt Lake Tribune).
- He walks to work every day and arrives around 6:30 am, working til 5 pm.
- He started working on his conference talk about a month ago by dictating his thoughts into a voice recorder. He generally spends an hour or more each day going over his address.
- He still lives alone and takes care of his personal needs.
- The only television programs he watches are local and national news broadcasts.
- His journal consists of over 120 volumes.
It was an incredible evening to listen to stories about such an amazing man. In sharing his personal testimony of the Prophet, Brother Staheli said, "Gordon B. Hinckley is a perfect man. He still makes mistakes, but he has fulfilled his potential on this Earth. The closer you get to him, the more perfect you realize he is."
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