>>> SHES PRETTY FUNNY TO THE
END, SO I WENT OVER TO SEE HER
IN THE HOSPITAL.
MOTHER SAID TO THE DOCTOR, DO
YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY GEORGE
TURNED OUT THE WAY HE TURNED OUT?ED OUT THE WAY HE TURNED
OUT?
THE DOCTOR KIND OF LOOKED, YOU
KNOW, SOMEWHAT PERPLEXED AND NODDED HER HEAD.ERPLEXED AND
NODDED HER HEAD. MOTHER SAYS, BECAUSE I DRANK AND
SMOKED WHEN I WAS PREGNANT WITH
HIM.
HIM.
>> I MEAN, CLASSIC, RIGHT? FORMER PRESIDENT BUSH RECALLING
ONE OF HIS LAST VISITS WITH HIS
MOM, FIRST LADY BARBARA BUSH,
WHO WE ARE REMEMBERING FONDLY
THIS MORNING.
THIS MORNING. AND HIS DAUGHTER, JENNA, IS
SHARING A TRIBUTE.
IT IS A LETTER TO HER BELOVED
GANNY.
>> Reporter: DEAREST GANNY, WHEN
WE LOST YOU, WE LOST ONE OF THE GREATS. YOU, WE LOST ONE OF THE
GREATS.
YOU ARE OUR FAMILYS ROCK, THE GLUE THAT HELD US TOGETHER.HE
GLUE THAT HELD US TOGETHER. I HOPE YOU KNOW IN YOUR FINAL
DAYS HOW MANY PEOPLE PRAYED FOR
YOU.
HOW MANY PEOPLE TOLD ME THEY LOVED YOU.EOPLE TOLD ME THEY
LOVED YOU. IT WAS LIKE THAT MY WHOLE LIFE.
PEOPLE STOPPED ME EVERYWHERE, IN
AIRPORTS, ON THE STREET, AND
DECLARED THEIR LOVE FOR YOU.
IT ALWAYS FELT GOOD.
WE DIDNT MIND SHARING YOU WITH
THE WORLD.
THE WORLD.
WE CALLED YOU THE ENFORCER. IT WAS BECAUSE YOU WERE A FORCE,
AND YOU WROTE THE RULES.
YOUR RULES WERE SIMPLE.
TREAT EVERYONE EQUALLY.
DONT LOOK DOWN ON ANYONE.
USE YOUR VOICES FOR GOOD.
READ ALL THE GREAT BOOKS.
OH, HOW ILL MISS SHARING BOOKS
WITH YOU.
WITH YOU.
I WILL NEVER FORGET WHEN BARBARA AND I, 7 YEARS OLD, SNUCK INTORA
AND I, 7 YEARS OLD, SNUCK INTO THE BOWLING ALLEY OF THE WHITE
HOUSE AND ORDERED PRESIDENTIAL
PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES.
WE WERE SURE ITD BE THE
FANCIEST SANDWICH OF OUR LIVES.
YOU OPENED THE DOOR, SCOLDING
US, TELLING US UNDER NO
CIRCUMSTANCES COULD WE ORDER
FOOD IN THE WHITE HOUSE AGAIN.
THIS WAS NOT A HOTEL.
YOU TAUGHT US HUMILITY AND
GRACE.
GRACE.
YOU EMBODYIED UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AT OUR WEDDING, HENRY AND I LOVE
AT OUR WEDDING, HENRY AND I ASKED YOU TO READ, BECAUSE WE
HOPED TO EMULATE YOUR LOVE
STORY.
STORY.
YOUR LOVE LETTERS WILL BE PASSED DOWN TO MY GIRLS, SO THEY KNOWED
DOWN TO MY GIRLS, SO THEY KNOW WHAT TRUE DEVOTION LOOKS LIKE.
YOU ALWAYS SAID HUMOR HELPS.
OUR NIGHTS SPENT AROUND THE
DINNER TABLE IN MAINE, LAUGHING
AT OLD FAMILY STORIES, WERE MADE
ALL THE BETTER BECAUSE OF YOUR
LAUGH.
LAUGH.
AND HUMOR WAS NECESSARY BECAUSE
OF SUMMERS YOU SPENT SURROUNDED BY 17 RUCKUS GRANDKIDS.RROUNDED
BY 17 RUCKUS GRANDKIDS. GRANDKIDS WHO FILLED THE HOT TUB
WITH SOAP, CREATING A GIANT
BUBBLE BATH.
BUBBLE BATH. ROWDY KIDS WHO LOVED DOING
CANNON BALLS OVER YOUR HEAD
WHILE YOU PEACEFULLY SWAM LAPS.
FROM YOU, GANNY, IVE LEARNED
THE GIFT OF UNIQUELY AND
AUTHENTICITY.
AUTHENTICITY. FROM WEARING MIX MATCHED KED EDE
YOUR SIGNATURE WHITE PEARLS AND
HAIR.
HAIR.
YOU TAUGHT US WHIT IS THE BEST ACCESSORY. US WHIT IS THE BEST
ACCESSORY.
AND WORRYING TOO MUCH ABOUT YOUR LOOKS, IN YOUR OWN WORDS, ISYOUR
LOOKS, IN YOUR OWN WORDS, IS BORING.
BORING.
WORDS MATTER. KINDNESS MATTERS.
KINDNESS MATTERS. LOOKS FADE.
LOOKS FADE. ONE OF YOUR FINAL E-MAILS TO ME
WAS SIMPLE AND TRUE.
THE SUBJECT LINE READ, "YOU."
IN THE BODY OF THE E-MAIL, YOU
WROTE, I AM WATCHING YOU.
I LOVE YOU.
GANNY.
GANNY. GANNY, WE HAVE SPENT OUR LIVES
WATCHING YOU.
WATCHING YOU. YOUR WORDS INSPIRED US.
YOUR ACTIONS, AN EXAMPLE TO
FOLLOW.
FOLLOW.
WE WATCHED AS YOU HELD BABIES LIVING WITH HIV TO DISPEL THE
STIGMA.
STIGMA.
AS YOU CHAMPIONED LITERACY
ACROSS OUR COUNTRY. AS YOU HELD GANPYS HAND.
YOU SAID YOU WERE ONE OF THE
LUCKIEST WOMAN TO EVER LIVE.
BUT I AM FILLED WITH GRATITUDE,
BECAUSE YOU WERE OURS.
WE ARE THE LUCKY ONES. YOU DID THANKS STHINGS ON YOUR O
TERMS, UP TILL THE VERY END.
NOW, YOURE REUNITED WITH YOUR
LITTLE GIRL, ROBIN.
SHE DIED SO YOUNG.
YOU CALLED HER YOUR SWEET ANGEL
IN HEAVEN.
IN HEAVEN. THOU I NEVER MET-- THOUGH I NEVE
MET HER, SHELL ALWAYS BE A TREZ
TREASURETREZ
TREASURETREZ TREASURED PART OF OUR FAMILY.
I LOVE YOU MORE THAN TONGUE CAN
TELL.
TELL.
LOVE, JENNA.
>> JENNA IS ON THE PHONE. YOU HAVE US IN TEARS THIS
MORNING.
MORNING.
WE LOVE YOU.
YES, YOUR GANNY IS ALWAYS WATCHING YOU AND MUST BE SO
PROUD.
PROUD.
HOW ARE YOU DOING?
>> WERE DOING WELL.
I THINK IT IS A MIXTURE OF WAVES
OF GREAT GRATITUDE FOR A LIFE
WELL LIVED.
SHE LIVED THE BEST LIFE. ALSO, FOR THE TRIBUTES THAT ARE
POURING IN, FOR THE PEOPLE THAT
CARE, ITS REALLY REMARKABLE.
THEN, OF COURSE, PAYING THE
SADNESS BECAUSE SHE WILL BE SO
DEARLY MISSED.
DEARLY MISSED. >> YOUR GRANDFATHER, HOW IS HE?
>> OH, HE MISSES HER, OF COURSE.
HE LOVED HER.
HE LOVES FIERCELY.
BUT BECAUSE HE LOVED SO
FIERCELY, I THINK, IN HIS OWN
WAY, IN HIS OLD AGE, HES TRYING
TO BE THE ONE TO MAKE THE JOKES.
HE DOESNT WANT US TO WORRY
ABOUT HIM.
ABOUT HIM. >> YOU KNOW --
>> I THINK THAT SHOWS HIS TYPE
OF HUMILITY AND HIS INTEGRITY.
WE LOVE HIM SO MUCH.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU TALKED
ABOUT ROBIN.
ABOUT ROBIN. YOUR GRANDMOTHERS DAUGHTER, WHO
A LOT OF US JUST LEARNED ABOUT
RECENTLY.
RECENTLY. SAVANNAH TWEETED -- RE-TWEETED A
PICTURE.
PICTURE.
IT WAS A CARTOON. >> WELL, JENNA POSTED THIS
CARTOON.
CARTOON.
IT TOOK MY BREATH AWAY WHEN I
SAW THIS ON YOUR FEED, JENNA.
ITS A CARTOONIST, RAMSEY, A
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER.
IT SAYS SO MUCH ABOUT LOVE,
FAITH AND MOTHERHOOD. JENNA, THAT MUST HAVE REALLY
TOOK YOUR BREATH AWAY WHEN YOU
SAW IT.
SAW IT.
>> OH, I MEAN, THESE TYPES OF
TRIBUTES THAT WERE GETTING
EVERY MOMENT.
PARTICULARLY, THAT ONE.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE CAN ALL
HAVE THE CONNECTION, THE THOUGHT
OF BEING REUNITED WITH SOMEBODY
WE LOVE.
IT GIVES US SUCH GREAT COMFORT.
I TALKED TO MY GRANDMA. PEOPLE DONT THINK OF HER AS A
MODERN WOMAN.
MODERN WOMAN.
I WAS WITH MY GRANDPARENTS WHEN
I WAS OFFERED THE JOB OTTAT THE "TODAY" SHOW. THE JOB OTTAT THE
"TODAY" SHOW.
SHE SAID, GO DO THIS. TAKE THE RISK.O THIS.
TAKE THE RISK. ITLL BE AWESOME.
I GOT TO SHARE THEIR STORIES
THROUGH MY WORK.
I FEELS LIKE A WONDERFUL GIFT.
ONE OF THE THINGS I DID WAS TALK
TO MY GANNY ABOUT ROBIN, AND
LEARN ALL THESE THINGS.
NOW, WHEN I HOLD MY BEAUTIFUL,
BLONDE, PRECIOUS 3-YEAR-OLD, I
THINK ABOUT HER.
I THINK ABOUT MY GANNY AND THE
RELIEF SHE MUST FEEL.
>> JENNA, BEAUTIFUL WORDS,
BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE.
YOUR GRANDMOTHER IS MISSED BY
ALL OF US.
THANKS FOR SHARING THIS SPECIAL
PART OF HER WITH US. >> I LOVE YOU ALL AND FEEL LUCKY
TO BE PART OF YOUR FAMILY, TOO.
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU.
>> OUR GIFT IS THAT WE GET TO
KNOW YOU, JENNA.
HONESTLY.
HONESTLY.
SENDING ALL OUR LOVES, HUGS AND
PRAYERS.
THANK YOU.
>> THANKS, FRIEND.
>> LOVE YOU.
>> BACK IN A MOMENT.