Pierce Bush: George H.W. Bush was the best grandfather
Former President George H.W. Bush's grandson Pierce Bush pays tribute to his grandfather from aboard the presidential funeral train traveling to College Station, Texas.
President George H.W. Bush, who died this past December at age of 94, often referred to Walker’s Point, the family’s beloved seaside retreat in Maine, as his “anchor to windward” – a source of comfort and rejuvenation in a volatile world.
But this summer marks the first year since World War II that President George H. W. Bush won’t be in Kennebunkport.
Death is the great destroyer of traditions, of course, and whether your father was the former leader of the free world or a faithful Rotarian in a small rural town, the passing of a loved one forces you to let go of the familiar and establish new family customs.
GEORGE, BARBARA BUSH'S ABSENCE NOTED AT MEMORIAL DAY PARADE
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, President George H.W. Bush’s second son, will spend time this summer at Walker’s Point in Kennebunkport without the familiar and loving presence of his parents.
“Seeing my mother and dad, that was my whole motivation for going,” he told me. “We especially loved bringing our kids to see them. Whenever they were in the presence of my parents, they came home as better people – more respectful, more polite.”
Kennebunkport has been therapeutic for the Bush family.
Death is the great destroyer of traditions, of course, and whether your father was the former leader of the free world or a faithful Rotarian in a small rural town, the passing of a loved one forces you to let go of the familiar and establish new family customs.
“Maine is the place where these bonds and connections get tighter,” Jeb Bush reflected.
And what did a typical Bush vacation with the 41st president and former first lady look like?
“Hectic,” Jeb Bush said with a chuckle. “All sorts of games. All sorts of activities. There was no moping around. If one was lucky, we’d go fishing with my dad. We’d play a version of polo golf – I once played 18 holes with my father and one other person in 1 hour and 38 minutes. It was frenetic.”
The son of parents who loved discussing world affairs and big ideas, Jeb Bush recalls how the warm summer days often ended.
“Big, boisterous dinner conversations,” he said with a smile. “Lots of stories. Lots of fun. Lots of jokes. My brother (George) and my mother going after one another in a wonderful way.”
Jeb Bush and President George W. Bush now serve as co-trustees of Walker’s Point. They’re committed to ensuring the home will remain in the Bush family for generations to come, a role once held by Barbara Bush.
“My mom was amazingly involved in the day-to-day management of Walker’s Point,” Jeb Bush said. “There were a lot of things going on – the gardens, the landscaping. If there was a problem, she was on it. She was truly the matriarch.”
For the patriarch, President George H.W. Bush, Walker’s Point was more than a vacation home.
“It was the place where he garnered his strength for his life,” Jeb Bush said. “It was where he was connected to his parents, all of his experiences – but not just with his family but also with world leaders.”
Jeb Bush remembers his final summer visit to Walker’s Point while both his mother and father were alive.
“My mother always got up first, 5:30 or so. Any of the kids knew we could meet her in the kitchen for coffee and conversation. One day, I went up to the ‘big house’ and … I asked mom if she was scared to die. Was she ready?”
How did Barbara Bush respond?
“She said ‘Yes’ – she was ready. She knew Jesus and she knew He loved her and she loved Him.”
Jeb Bush will be reminded of his parents at every turn in Kennebunkport. He’ll remember them as he attends daily morning Mass at the Franciscan Monastery, and he’ll smile when he sees the majestic pine tree outside St. Ann’s Episcopal Church that his father crashed into as he landed his final parachute jump at age 90.
But Jeb Bush doesn’t grieve George and Barbara Bush because he believes they’re in heaven, restored and together again.
“Now I get to be ‘Gampy,’” he said, giving the Bush title for grandfather. Of course, he’s already been a grandpa for years, but sacred places like Walker’s Point have a way of reframing roles and recommitting a person to the tasks ahead.
So, for the Bush family, the curtain rises this summer on a new era of family vacation traditions.
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There will be golf, fishing, swimming and horseshoes – but it will be different. Nothing ever stays the same. Children grow up and generations pass on and we’re forced to confront the inevitability of change.
A man of deep Christian faith, Jeb Bush looks ahead eagerly to July and August at Walker’s Point, even without his father and mother, embracing the comforting words of the ancient biblical writer who said: “He has made everything beautiful in its time … no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
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