Good Bye George

Good-bye dear friend,

So, I have been getting a bit teary eyed lately, actually not necessarily unusual for me I am what you call a ‘crier’ give me a touching McDonalds commercial or sappy Christmas movie and the floodgates open, but this was a little different. The past few weeks I have been feeling a bit melancholy. I have been roaming around my daily routines not feeling all present, my head or heart seemed to be off somewhere else. And then a few days ago it dawned on me. I started to tear up at a news story featuring our president, for a few more hours, George W. Bush. Now, I have no intention on standing on a soap box and expounding this political belief or that … not the time or the place and frankly the box at this moment is pretty unstable, best to stay on terra firma.

But I wanted to reflect on this new phenomenon that I have gone through the past few years. I am still fairly young, in the scheme of things and have only been able to vote in a handful of presidential elections. And for the most part I picked the guy I liked, the one that sat on my side of a certain issue, and then would press the button and hope for the best, whatever that was. But George was different, I, well, fell for him. I admit I am at times a stereotypical female and when it comes to fireman, quarterbacks, and cowboys I am a sucker. And there he was with his southern twang and good ole boy smile; there I went hook, line, and sinker. But it was also his life. He apparently over came demons, admirable. He was a devoted father, can’t beat that. He was a doting and loving husband, aces there. A faithful servant and friend to Jesus, right there with him. And honestly, he just made me feel good, safe, taken care of.

And still to this day I am a bit head over heals. Like a good friend I hate to see him raked through the mud (whether he deserves or not) so I am happy the lights will stop hitting him. But also like a friend I honestly hate to see him go. I know, I know, I am supposedly the minority and many of you are bursting but this isn’t about politics right now. For me this is something different …some thing akin to love … and when we love we are typically loyal regardless of the love’s shortcomings.

I can’t quite explain it but I never had ‘this’ before for a political leader. When John Paul II died people were distraught. I am as Catholic as the next guy, maybe even more so and all I could really muster was, huh, ‘what a shame, well he was pretty old.’ And as larger than life Ronald Reagan was for a little kid like I was when he ‘ruled the roost’ I was too young then to really get it. But I got involved with Bush’s campaigns. The second time around I actually walked the neighborhoods with friends and our kids all sporting our Bush/Cheney t-shirts. My lawn proudly displayed an election sign and my SUV sported a W is for Women sticker, the first time I EVER put a sticker of any kind on a car of mine. I became invested. So much so that I was actually diagnosed with migraine headaches for the first time in my life, which receded sometime after we successfully won the election and if you recall that didn’t happen that time on the following Wednesday.

So as excited, as I am for our nation that we have this new president, a black man, what a proud day (although I don’t agree with much of his plans). I am sad to see my dear friend George go. It is funny, it is foolish, but it is true … for honestly we are all just out to do the best job we know how and some of our jobs are much harder than others. But at the end of the day we are all we have to give the world and I believe through it all that is what George gave us, himself, not his agenda, or his smooth talk, or his grandstanding. He gave us something rare in this world and most rare in the world of politics. He gave us sincerity, I liked that … I loved that … I will miss that.

So with a tear in my eye, I say good-bye George, good-bye cowboy, good-bye Tex, good-bye friend. I, at least, will miss you and thank you for trying your best. Who knows ... maybe I will see you around the ranch one day!
Love,
A Sincere American Friend