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Earlier this week, we all received the sad news of former First Lady Barbara Bush's death. Although it was a long time in coming, her passing still shocked quite a few people because she was known as a real fighter.
Out of respect for her as a person who devoted her life to serving others, I thought I'd focus on her this week.
Not really as a biography, just some personal observations and things about her that have stuck with me over the years.
Being a child of the late '70s (please don't do the math), I only became aware of the presidency during the Reagan era. At that time the Bushes were in the Reagans' shadow, so I never really got an opportunity to study Mrs Bush or to hear what she had to say.
However, after she became First Lady it struck me that, for the first time, I was seeing the lady holding that title not just as a proverbial "woman behind the great man" but as an actual mother.
Mrs Bush always seemed very preoccupied and enamored with her kids, which gave me a warm feeling inside. It was almost like she was saying, "My husband's job is to put America first; mine is to make sure that our kids don't keep coming in second."
I could also tell how much she loved her husband, just by the way in which she looked at him.
Given her strong emotional attachment to her family, it's amazing that - after losing her mom in a car accident, then losing the 3-year old daughter named after her mom to leukemia - she could find the strength to put on a brave face and smile for her husband when making public appearances.
I was surprised and heartened to learn that Mrs Bush was a military spouse... from way back in WWII!
What I identify with most, however, is the fact that she raised the kids and kept the home fires burning whilst Mr Bush served in the Navy, pursued his political career and ran an oil company.
In essence, she stayed back and did the stuff most people consider mundane so that her husband could shine and achieve his goals.
Yes, Barbara was the quintessential political wife, sometimes accompanying George on the campaign trail.
I remember how she often used her wit and political savvy to her husband's great advantage, knowing on which issues to speak out and on which to reserve comment. Now, there's a lesson for all of us!
Where she lost me a bit, though, is in finding time to be a FULLY-involved mom/homemaker (rare for a political wife of high standing), a loving, supportive wife, an active churchgoer and a relentless advocate of literacy.
I mean, she did it all: tending to family, running the home, charity work, Republican women's groups, health care boards, literacy committees/organizations - WOW!
And if that wasn't enough, she had to give some extra special attention to her dyslexic son Neil. Of course, he was the inspiration for her lifelong literacy crusade.
Did you know that Barbara even penned a children's book and donated all of its proceeds to those literacy organizations I mentioned? Man, she was a real powerhouse! Women like her really inspire me as a SAHM.
This indomitable force of nature can also be credited with preserving the stately appearance of the symbol of America's presidency (i.e. the White House) by raising 25 MILLION DOLLARS for the White House Endowment Trust.
One more thing that struck me about Barbara Bush - that we should all emulate - was her humility.
This despite the heights which she had reached in life; despite coming from a family of means. Despite being a descendant of a New England colonist and a 4th cousin, 4 times removed, of both 14th president Franklin Pierce and illustrious poet Longfellow!
In fact, as First Lady, Mrs Bush was often at logger-heads with the Secret Service because she insisted on driving a regular-sized car and traveling on public trains and airplanes... did you know that?
Yet here we are, thinking that we're entitled to feel "superior" just because we're married with kids, or tall, or thin, or good-looking, or we have a big house, or an impressive zip code, or a nice car, or a high IQ, or a great education, or a high-paying job, or an exceptional talent... no, peeps - let's follow Barbara's example, shall we?
Look folks, whatever your political persuasion (even if you don't have one), I want you to adopt these 4 attributes from Barbara Bush:
- Devotion to family as a first priority
- Humility
- A genuine desire to help others
- The passion and drive to mobilize around (and focus your time and effort on) a belief in something truly important
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That's all for this week.
All the best
Donna
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