My Eulogy to President George H.W. Bush

For the past two days, I have been staunchly watching most all the events dealing the passing of 41st – as commonly referred to of George Herbert Walker Bush, the forty-first president of the United States of America. I think that, anyone watching, regardless, must have been, at some point in time or another, overwhelmed with emotions, regarding the grandiosity of this man. I know I was.

As far as I am concerned, the life of George H.W. Bush, is truly an exemplary life – the sort of life all religions preach for us to live – no more, no less.

I am sure that he [Bush], like all of us humans, had his flaws, albeit, from what I can tell, these must have been far few and between – all lost amongst a vastness of virtues, which far prevailed over the former.

Every human being is born to live by a certain code of moral, ethical and religious values instilled upon us by our mentors; our parents, teachers, religious guides, or otherwise, all those who have a hand in our upbringing; in our formation. Historically, many of men’s codes revolve around a whole host of virtues such as are, amongst others: honesty, dignity, fairness, loyalty, ambition, courage, kindness, caring, straightforwardness, self-control dependability, just to mention a few. Most men, however, are only able to relish a few of these virtues at best. Vis-à-vis, George H.W. Bush was a unique man inasmuch as he owned them all and then some– a rare exception nowadays in our convoluted species.

From my perspective, president George Bush was in class by himself. On a personal note, the man was a great son, husband, and father. At a public level, he was a war-hero, a statesman, a loyal servant to the nation, but most of all, he was humble man – kind to his fellow-men, in the image of God. Matter of fact, with his passing there is a certain aura of righteous spirituality which can be sensed as shared by all who knew him.

I truly believe the life and legacy of George H.W. Bush transcends the commonalities that abound a world where divisiveness seems to rule over acquiescence; greed over generosity; aggression over harmony; dishonesty and impropriety over goodness and decency; a world filled with hatred, envy and resentment. One may even say George H.W. Bush did not belong in this day and age. Again, in a class of his own.

Even though one could say Bush came from a “blue-blood” family of New England patricians, at a very early age, he renounced his namesake pedigree and, instead, became his own man by virtue of all of the aforementioned attributes, which led him to his prevalent success amply acknowledged by the way the world today paid homage to the late president.

I humbly invite all of you to join me in prayers for this great man. I look upon George H.W. Bush as a true model of what every single one of us should strive for in life. I also hope his legacy will transcend partisan politics. Amidst my tearful eyes, as I watched today’s funeral events, I could not help but note the colossal sense of dignity, respect and reverence which only George H.W. Bush could inspire and command amongst those he left behind. I thought in today’s events, we witnessed the legacy of not only a man, but also the legacy of a nation.

In closing, I hereby humbly offer my deepest condolences to the entire Bush family. I look upon them as the archetypical example of dignity. As I looked at all the living presidents today sitting together at the National Cathedral bonded by the mourning of this great man, I just thought, perhaps 41st passing would help all us who stayed behind transcend the grievances that separate us, help us overcome the evilness that we often see eroding our souls – and, somehow, learn from this moment. Learn to follow in president George H.W. Bush’s footsteps – one which follows in God’s image. Amidst the grief, we should all share in the spirit of thankfulness for the legacies we have been left with by this great man. If we could only strive to emulate his greatness as we do God’s, the world would be altogether a better place. God bless George H.W. Bush. May he rest in peace.