Today is a Teddy Day, a day
during which Nita babysits our six-month old grandson. This morning was not
typical, as she and I and Teddy spent two hours in front of the TV watching the
funeral service for President George H.W. Bush. I found it to be a dignified and stirring
service which made me proud to be an American and a Christian. I won’t dwell on
the pageantry or the terrific tribute speeches except to say I was holding my
breath for son George W to get through his talk without choking up. He almost
made it, and I say hoorah for him for getting that far. A eulogy to one's father or mother has to be the hardest talk any man can
ever give.
I also loved the Episcopal
priest’s display of the little plaque that President Bush had given him. On it
is engraved “Preach Jesus every day. Use
words if you must.” Amen to that.
The part of the service that prompts
me to write this blog post is that as expected grandson Teddy maintained his
infantile behaviors throughout the service. He played during the talks sometimes
babbling to himself, and he ignored the choirs and the hymns. He took a nap, then slopped his way through some mashed carrots, drank a
bottle of mama’s milk, and played on the floor. Until the near the end.
When the man soloist closed the
service by singing the Lord’s Prayer, Teddy stopped messing around in his
grandmother’s lap and simply sat still, staring with wide eyes at the TV from the
opening “Our Lord Which Art In Heaven” until the closing “Amen.” The soloist with the tremendous tenor
voice didn’t hurry. Yet Teddy stayed with him all the way. Teddy may only be 180 days old, but this morning the
little guy already recognized and honored Jesus's prayer when he heard it. That made grandpa proud too.
So, Rest in Peace, President
Bush, from our Grandson Teddy and the whole McBride household.
