I watched First Lady Barbara Bush’s funeral on Saturday and it struck me how her very loving, yet no-nonsense way of mothering has influenced the outcome of her children. I thought about my own Mother (who also loved wearing big pearls 😆), and what an impacting influence she had on her eight boys and me. How we as parents now, are striving to follow her example in parenting our own children. What is done in the confines of our own homes and how we treat others outside this environment, why we strive to act responsibly on a daily basis... ALL affect our children’s behaviors and the way they view the world for the rest of their lives!
Listening in on the service, it was evident from her posterity that Mrs. Bush held the most noble qualities of motherhood and womanhood. It was exemplified through their sharing stories of the love she had for her family and her service to charitable causes. Friends described the former First Lady as “the secret sauce” of her family. Fearless, blunt and... humorous 😉 she made it no secret that “Motherhood” is more than just a job—that it is a higher calling which requires carved-out time you will never regret:
“At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with your husband, a friend, a child, or parent.” ~Barbara Bush
Based on what her grandchildren said, she lived that mantra. They learned from their “Ganny" the following: 1) Not to take ourselves too seriously, 2) Humor is a joy to be shared, 3) Strive to be genuine and authentic. Plus, her simple philosophy to choose “to like or not to like,” is really the key to happiness:
"You have two choices in life; you can either like what you do or dislike what you do. I have chosen to like what I do.”
My Mother too loved what she did and yes, it’s true, Mom did our genealogy and found that we are related to Barbara Pierce. Both raised the “Bar”(Mrs. Bush’s nickname 😆) in putting family first, and both also took joy in seeing women carve out their most important roles in our modern world. 👍
Tell me about an influential woman in your life on this Happy Sunday! 😘💋