by Leena Lambert

GUEST COLUMNIST

As I was watching President Gordon B. Hinckley's funeral on Saturday I was struck with awe at the brilliant life he led. Coincidentally, I started reading a book about Benjamin Franklin the Saturday before President Hinckley's passing. Franklin is another extraordinary man who lived his life in such a way that centuries later, ordinary people like me are still learning from him. As I thought about these two men who have inspired me, I began to see virtues needed to live an above-average life. Most of these things can be incorporated into any life. After all, we were all born for greatness, some of us just don't realize it yet.

Virtues of these men that have stood out to me are: rise early, educate yourself, be frugal, give public service, be goal oriented, have a strong work ethic and be humble.

We have all heard the quote coined by Franklin, "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." He conceived the idea of "daylight savings" knowing we should use the daylight hours for improving our time on earth. President Hinckley is known for his brilliance. His family mentioned they don't remember their dad ever sleeping past 6 a.m. He would read several newspapers every day. He was inquisitive and interested in a myriad of topics. If you sleep until noon, those opportunities are lost. Rise early.

Franklin only attended two years of formal education, but he knew the importance of learning and never stopped. He taught himself five languages so he could read books not yet translated to English. He brought the first library to Pennsylvania and also founded the University of Pennsylvania. President Hinckley founded the Perpetual Education Fund, allowing those in developing countries through no interest loans to continue their education. He has encouraged us to get as much education as possible and chose "Be Smart" as one of the six 'be's.' President Hinckley was described by veteran 60 Minutes television journalist Mike Wallace as "a genuinely remarkable man... (a) warm and thoughtful and decent and optimistic leader." We need to keep learning. Educate yourself.

"A penny saved is a penny earned" is another famous quote of Franklin's. Living simply and working hard allowed him to turn his business over to his partner at the age of 42 and begin a life of public service. He mentions the blessing of having a frugal wife making this possible. "Fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" was the encouragement given by President Hinckley. He has said, "Ours is such a wasteful generation. The disposal of garbage has become one of the great problems of our time. Part of that comes of wasteful extravagance -- it is the obsession with riches that cankers and destroys." He went on to say, "But it is the labor and the thrift of people that make a nation strong. It is work and thrift that make the family independent." He added, "Debt can be a terrible thing. It is so easy to incur and so difficult to repay." With the unstable economy we must heed this wise counsel of frugality.

Franklin has a long list of public services offered in his lifetime. He invented many things including the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, and bifocals. He was always encouraged to incur a patent for these inventions, but always refused to do so. He did not serve for money, and felt if his inventions helped other people that was good enough. President Hinckley understood this need for service as well. Although his children said he did not enjoy traveling, he knew he needed to be among the people in order to serve them. He traveled the world several times because of his love for public service. Watch for opportunities to serve, even if it is uncomfortable. Public service.

Franklin realized at an early age that he knew right from wrong. He asked himself then why not "Choose the right"? He wrote down a list of virtues he wished to perfect and set about incorporating them into his life. Temperance, silence ("Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation."), order, resolution ("Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve."), frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility ("Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable."), chastity and humility ("Imitate Jesus and Socrates.") As you can imagine, Franklin soon discovered he had "undertaken a task of more difficulty than I had imagined. While my attention was taken up in guarding against one fault, I was often surprised by another." He set up a black book to record his progress at the end of each day. He paid strict attention to one virtue a week. At the age of 78 he wrote, "I was surprised to find myself so much fuller of faults than I had imagined, but I had the satisfaction of seeing them diminish. I always carried my little book with me." President Hinckley was a man of action. He leaves behind the Proclamation on the Family, the reconstruction of the Nauvoo LDS Temple, the Perpetual Education Fund, the Conference Center and the construction of small temples throughout the world He would encourage us to "Roll up your sleeves and get to work." Goals were accomplished that had only been previously dreamed of. Be goal oriented.

Both Franklin and President Hinckley understood work. Both lived long lives contributing to society right up to the time they died. Leisure was not really an option for either of them. Franklin came from a large family and he was required to work in order to survive. President Hinckley learned early a regular regimen of work and chores -- a pattern that was evident throughout his life. Many have said it was hard to keep up with President Hinckley's schedule when he was traveling. He went to his office just the week before he died. Develop a strong work ethic.

I cannot leave out the most powerful virtue these great men possessed -- humility. They understood their strength and abilities came from God. They were humble and knew the goodness and love God has for each us. Knowing this helped them to love and respect those with whom they associated with. Franklin dedicated each Sabbath day to study God's word. President Hinckley wore out his life serving God. He did it with vigor and vitality, seeing the vision of God's work to be done on this earth. As we recognize our own dependence of God in our lives, He can allow us to do things we cannot do without him. Be humble.

I could go on and on listing the values they lived -- exercise, faith, virtue, and vision to name a few. We are blessed to have these examples before us. We can set about improving our own lives to express our thanks to them for the legacy they have left us.

As President Hinckley taught us: "You must be good. But it is not enough to just be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And the good that is in you must be spread to others."

Lenna Lambert lives in Grantsville where she serves in the Primary -- the children's organization for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is the mother of six children.