An Ode to 41 ... Death, Once Again, Reminds Us of Civility, Levity & Hope
Former presidents, foreign dignitaries and friends (sans one), packed the Washington National Cathedral to bid farewell to the 41st president of the United States of America, George Herbert Walker Bush.
Heartfelt and somber eulogies were given by 41's family and friends but it wasn't until his son, George W. aka43, came up to speak did I truly feel the remorse of the state of affairs that is our current political arena.
George W's touching eulogy had two very striking and inspiring points for me. The first was a basic but often overlooked guideline to life. The second was a quote from 41 himself.
"In victory, he shared credit. When he lost, he shouldered the blame. He accepted that failure is part of living a full life, but taught us never to be defined by failure. He showed us how setbacks can strengthen."
"Never to be defined by failure" ... These simple words struck me as I, like many of us, have a tendency to be too critical of myself and fear failure. Mistakes make us who we are by revealing how we persevere. It was a delightful reminder.
In his Inaugural Address, the 41st president of the United States said this: “We cannot hope only to leave our children a bigger car, a bigger bank account. We must hope to give them a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend, a loving parent, a citizen who leaves his home, his neighborhood and town better than he found it. What do we want the men and women who work with us to say when we are no longer there? That we were more driven to succeed than anyone around us? Or that we stopped to ask if a sick child had gotten better, and stayed a moment there to trade a word of friendship?”
In essence, to make the world a better place. I always kinda liked ya, George H. W. Bush. Rest in peace 41, may your hopes come to fruition.
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