president james e faust

i was saddened to hear of the passing of president faust this morning. i know we aren't supposed to have favorites, but i really like him.

in october of 2004, nathan and i took jared and isaac to the university of utah hospital to visit nate's mom after a surgery. we were waiting for the elevator when the doors opened and an older man in a wheelchair along with two mean dressed in suits started to emerge. i pulled jared back towards me so that they could exit. at first glance, i thought that guy is so familiar. as he was pushed from the elevator, he looked right at jared and said, "hello there". as soon as he said it, i realized who he was. it was president faust.

my favorite president faust story, given in a conference talk, (Nov. 1997; The Weightier Matters of the Law:Judgment, Mercy, and Faith) is this:

"I fear that some of our greatest sins are sins of omission. These are some of the weightier matters of the law the Savior said we should not leave undone. These are the thoughtful, caring deeds we fail to do and feel so guilty for having neglected them.

As a small boy on the farm during the searing heat of the summer, I remember my grandmother Mary Finlinson cooking our delicious meals on a hot woodstove. When the wood box next to the stove became empty, Grandmother would silently pick up the box, go out to refill it from the pile of cedar wood outside, and bring the heavily laden box back into the house. I was so insensitive and interested in the conversation in the kitchen, I sat there and let my beloved grandmother refill the kitchen wood box. I feel ashamed of myself and have regretted my omission for all of my life. I hope someday to ask for her forgiveness."

i really liked this story because it was sincere (i remember he had trouble controlling his emotions) and showed that even great, respectable, spiritual giants have regrets from their life.