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Prayer Experience (from a reader – unconfirmed)

       [This is from a man, Bruce Vincent, from Montana who received an

award from the President.  He wrote a long narrative to chronicle the day

and the award ceremony, with a dilemma in telling this story beyond my

circle of close friends.  I've way shortened his story for your read.]

       "For me, however, the biggest event of the day had already happened

when the East Room Ceremony started up.  Stepping into the Oval Office,

each of us was introduced to the President and Mrs. Bush." We shook hands,

received our awards with photo op and participated in informal

conversation.

       Two items are recounted:

            1] He and the First Lady were asked about the impact of the

Presidency on their marriage and, with an arm casually wrapped around

Laura, he said that he thought the place may be hard on weak marriages but

that it had the ability to make strong marriages even stronger and that he

was blessed with a strong one.

            2]  He noted that it would be a mistake to come to the Oval

Office and entertain a mission to 'find yourself.' He said that with all of

the pressures and responsibilities that go with the job, you'd best know

who you are when you put your nameplate on the desk in the Oval Office.  He

said he knows who he is and now America has had four years to learn about

who he is.

       When we departed the I said to him, "Mr. President,  I know you to

be a man of strong faith and have a favor to ask you." As he shook my hand

he looked me in the eye and said, "Just name it."

       I told him that my step-Mom was at that moment in a hospital in

Kalispell, Montana, having a tumor removed from her skull and it would mean

a great deal to me if he would consider adding her to his prayers that day.

He grabbed me by the arm and took me back toward his desk as he said, "So

that's it. I could tell that something is weighing heavy on your heart

today.  I could see it in your eyes.  This explains it."  From the top

drawer of his desk he retrieved a pen and a note card with his seal on it

and asked, "How do you spell her name?"  He then jotted a note to her while

discussing the importance of family and the strength of prayer.

       When he handed me the card, he asked about the surgery and the

prognosis. I told him we were hoping that it is not a recurrence of an

earlier cancer and that if it is they can get it all with this surgery.  He

said, "If it's okay with you, we'll take care of the prayer right now.

Would you pray with me?" I told him yes and he turned to the staff that

remained in the office and hand motioned the folks to step back or leave.

He said, "Bruce and I would like some private time for a prayer." As they

left he turned back to me and took my hands in his.  I was prepared to do a

traditional prayer stance - standing with each other with heads bowed.

Instead, he reached for my head with his right hand and pulling gently

forward, he placed my head on his shoulder.  With his left arm on my mid

back, he pulled me to him in a prayerful embrace.  He started to pray

softly.  I started to cry. He continued his prayer for Loretta and for

God's perfect will to be done.  I cried some more.  My body shook a bit as

I cried and he just held tighter. He closed by asking God's blessing on

Loretta and the family during the coming months.  I stepped away from our

embrace, wiped my eyes, swiped at the tears I'd left on his shoulder, and

looked into the eyes of our President.  I thanked him as best I could and

told him that me and my family would continue praying for he and his. As I

write this account down and reflect upon what it means, I have to tell you

that all I really know is that his simple act left me humbled and

believing.  I so hoped that the man I thought him to be was the man that he

is.  I know that our nation needs a man such as this in the Oval Office.

George W.  Bush is the real deal.  I've read Internet stories about the

President praying with troops in hospitals and other such uplifting

accounts.  Each time I read them I hope them to be true and not an Internet

perpetuated myth. This one, I know to be true.  I was there.  He is real.

He has a pile of incredible stuff on his plate each day - and yet he is

tuned in so well to the here and now that he 'sensed' something heavy on my

heart.  He took time out of his life to care, to share, and to seek God's

blessing for my family in a simple man-to-man, father-to-father,

son-to-son, husband-to-husband, Christian-to-Christian prayerful embrace.

       He's not what I had hoped he would be.  He is, in fact, so very,

very much more. ---------

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