Thank You President Bush ~

I couldn’t take my eyes off the train carrying President George Bush (41) home from Spring, Texas to College Station.

I was obsessed with every detail of the ceremony – from beginning to end. The number of times they played -Hail to the Chief- and thinking his family must cringe knowing they are one step closer to burying him next to his loving partner and daughter with every note.

I thought how Amazing it was he picked every little detail about his funeral, and I laughed thinking it really was Trains, Planes and Automobiles to the very end!

I was touched how he even picked out the food his family would have on the train on the way to College Station and when he arrived, and they played the Aggie Fight Song, I as a Texan, burst into tears.  My heart burst with JOY that he was home with his wife and daughter!  Let’s face it, it was inevitable that I would cry, and I did get tearful when his son George W. Bush cracked at the end of his eulogy and watching James Baker do the same, I was fighting back what was my underlying feeling this whole week – sadness.

Sadness for someone who graced the offices he served with confidence, adored his wife and loved his family.  Who could ask for more in a human?

When I reflected and thought about it all, I realized WHY I was so obsessed with every detail.  Because HE had preplanned his funeral.  Now, I know we are not all Presidents and we don’t have the budget for this grand of an affair, I can say this was a final lesson he was teaching all of us.

Be prepared. Have the conversations. Don’t be afraid to tell the people you LOVE that you LOVE them. And have a vision about how you want to be celebrated and how you want your family and friends to feel about your life and legacy.

That was one of the many reasons I created LOLA. Because I want people to say, “I want my life to be celebrated this way and I want my family to feel loved to the end.”