It is important for each individual to keep a record of influential experiences that have effected their personal development, because they shape us into who we will become, President Hinckley said during the Devotional, Tuesday, Oct, 31, 2006.

"As all of you recognize, I am now an old man who has weathered many seasons and been touched and affected by many experiences," Hinckley said. "Rather than giving a speech, I have thought to offer several brief cameos or vignettes or seemingly little experiences that I remember from out of the past and that have touched my life in an unforgettable manner."

To a willing audience, President Hinckley shared many experiences that shaped him into the man LDS church members revere as a prophet.

"Emerson was once asked what books he had read that had most influenced his life," President Hinckley said. "He replied that he could no more remember the books he had read than the meals he had eaten, but they had made him."

One experience, which helped mold President Hinckley into the man he is today, was the shining and inspirational example of the Casteneda family from Torreon, Mexico that demonstrated the miraculous power of missionary work.

Visited by a companionship of missionaries, the family knew nothing of God and was brought into the light as the blinders covering their eyes were removed, revealing the glory of Christ, President Hinckley said.

"Think of the wonderful consequences of their being taught and receiving the teachings of the gospel from two humble missionaries," he said. "Such miracles are occurring today all across the world."

From their conversion, the Casteneda family has influenced the lives of some 200 friends and family members who have all joined the church. This work is what President Hinckley feels brings the power of the gospel to the world.

President Hinckley then drew upon other influential experiences as he recalled his visits to many of the great tombs and military cemeteries around the world.

"I have stood at the tomb of Napoleon in Paris, at the tomb of Lenin in Moscow and before the burial places of many others of the great leaders of the earth," he said. "I have reflected quietly and thoughtfully as I have stood in the military cemetery in Manila in the Philippines. I've walked with reverence through the British cemetery on the outskirts of Rangoon, Burma (now known as Myanmar), and noted the names of hundreds of thousands of young men."

Men and women gave their lives to war, President Hinckley said. Those who were once happy, buoyant, creative individuals now reflect the terrible cost of war. These people gave much to the world, he said, but they have all passed on to the darkness of the grave.

"They have stepped over the threshold of silent death," President Hinckley said. "What would we do without the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior and Redeemer?

Assuring that because of this perfect man, life will go on beyond the veil, he said that existence after this life is purposeful and productive and that we shall continue to live once we depart from here on earth.

President Hinckley closed his sample of significant occasions by reiterating the importance for individuals to keep a record of their own personal influential experiences. He stressed that they should write them down and read them from time to time to refresh their memories of how they developed.

"Some of them may be funny," President Hinckley said. "Some may be of significance only to you. Some of them may be sacred and quietly beautiful. Some may build one upon another until they represent a lifetime of special experience."

Transitioning into his last experience, President Hinckley shared one of his own life vignettes that has great significance to him.

"It was with the girl I married nearly seventy years ago," said Hinckley. "My experiences with her stand out vividly in my memory. I cannot forget them. When she was young I was bewitched and in love. That love strengthened throughout the years."

Marjorie Hinckley died two and a half years ago. On the granite marker at her gravesite the words "Beloved Eternal Companion" are inscribed.

"I remind you now that the association you now enjoy as students is probably the best time in your life to find your own eternal companion," President Hinckley said. "Do so with a prayer in your heart. It will be the most important decision you will ever make. It will influence your life from now until all eternity."

Copyright Brigham Young University 31 Oct 2006