Glimpses into the Life and Heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley

When Marjorie Pay stepped into the Salt Lake Temple in 1937 to be married to Gordon B. Hinckley, she little knew what dramatic turns her life would take. How could any newlywed envision that she might someday be the eternal companion of the prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

In Glimpses into the Life and Heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley, dozens of family members and friends share experiences and feelings that demonstrate the character of a quietly remarkable woman. These vignettes combine with the words of Sister Hinckley herself, gleaned from talks, letters, and conversations, to create a portrait that is engaging and inspiring. From her profound yet simple faith to her optimism and sense of humor, from her love of mothering and grandmothering to her enthusiasm for learning, Sister Hinckley's personality traits are perfectly suited to her mission. She goes through life with a smile in her heart and a gift for loving that reaches out to embrace everyone she meets. As you meet her in these pages, you'll fall under the spell of her warmth, her genuineness, and her testimony.

"This book is not a recipe for others to follow, but just one more example of the gospel in action in the life of a fellow sojourner," writes her daughter Virginia H. Pearce. But in sharing this example, she expresses the hope that "maybe, just maybe, we who read it will be inspired to try a little harder to be a little better — to become the people the Lord knows we can be."

An excerpt from Sheri Dew's foreword to Glimpses into the Life and Heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley: "Their interactions with each other demonstrate the comfortable camaraderie of their life together. During a meeting with missionaries in London's Hyde Park chapel, President Hinckley began his remarks: 'I am going to exercise my prerogative and call on Sister Hinckley to talk with you. This is something for which I will pay a dear price, but so be it.' He chuckled to himself as he turned from the podium. But without missing a beat, she stepped up to the pulpit, lowered the microphone — she always has to lower the microphone — and said, 'I like this man a lot, but sometimes I like him more than others. What would you do if you were married to a man like this?' The missionaries roared their approval."