I got this from a friend today and have never seen this one before.  I cried
upon reading it, too.

Phil.


> Here is an excellent piece --- worth every minute it takes to read it.
>
> Bruce Vincent, from Montana who received an award from President G.W.
> Bush.
>
> He writes:
> I've written the following narrative to chronicle the day of the award
> ceremony in DC.  I'm still working on a press release but the White House
> press corps has yet to provide a photo to go with it.  When the photo
> comes I'll ship it out. When you get done reading this you'll understand
> the dilemma I face in telling this story beyond my circle of close
> friends.
>
> The moment with the President in the Oval Office was incredible.  I want
> to protect the memory because it was an intensely private moment between
> two men.  At the same time I'd like to share it on a broader scale
> because I'd like others to know what I know about the man sitting at the
> desk in the Oval Office.
>
> For now, I'll just tell it to you folks.
>
> As you know, our efforts concerning the reintroduction of our rural,
> resource providing cultures to the ever more urbane society of our nation
> has been honored with an award from the President and First Lady Bush.
>
> Nominated by the Forest Service for the first ever Preserve America
> President's Award was our cultural exchange program Provider PalsT and
> our restoration of an abandoned CCC built Forest Service ranger station
> (Raven Ranger Station) for use as a learning center for students from
> throughout the nation that are now engaged in our cultural exchange.
>
> The award was given at a White House ceremony on Monday, May 3, 2004.
> Guests at the East Room ceremony (the Rose Garden was going to be used
> but it rained) included Secretary of Interior Gorton, Secretary of
> Agriculture Venneman, Undersecretary Mark Rey, Chief Bosworth,
> President's Advisory Council for Preserve America, and others.  The East
> Wing was closed to the public for the event and those who attended
> enjoyed brunch and live chamber music.
>
> Provider PalsT was able to bring members of our board of directors, staff
> from our partner Communities for a Great Northwest, our Kootenai Forest
> Supervisor and Forest Archaeologist, and two officials from our major
> sponsor Ford Motor Company. Thankfully, I was also able to bring PJ and
> all four children.  In the East Room, Secretaries Venneman and Gorton
> spoke as did First Lady Bush and Preserve America's Chairman John Nau.
>
> The First Lady then gave autographed copies of a White House book to
> award winners in this ceremony and posed for pictures. When the ceremony
> concluded, the First Lady stayed for a bit in the Green Room and chatted
> and posed for pictures.  She was then escorted outside to meet the
> President and board a Marine One helicopter waiting to whisk them off to
> the airport.
>
> For me, however, the biggest event of the day had already happened when
> the East Room Ceremony started up.  While the East Room ceremony was
> being prepared, the four national award winners and the entities that
> nominated them were taken to the Oval Office for the official award
> presentation by President Bush and First Lady Bush.  There were eight of
> us in total.
>
> Stepping into the Oval Office, each of us was introduced to the President
> and Mrs. Bush. We shook hands and participated in small talk.  When the
> President was told that we were from Libby, Montana, I reminded him that
> Marc Racicot is our native son and the President offered his warm
> thoughts about Governor Racicot.
>
> I have to tell you, I was blown away by two things upon entering the
> office.  First, the Oval Office sense of 'place' is unreal.  The
> President later shared a story of Russian President Putin entering the
> room prepared to tackle the President in a tough negotiation and upon
> entering the atheist muttered his first words to the President and they
> were "Oh, my God."   I concurred.
>
> I could feel the history in my bones.  Second, the man that inhabits the
> office engaged me with a firm handshake and a look that can only be
> described as penetrating.  Warm, alive, fully engaged, disarmingly
> penetrating.  I was admittedly concerned about meeting the man.  I think
> all of us have an inner hope that the most powerful man in our country is
> worthy of the responsibility and authority that we bestow upon them
> through our vote.  I admit that part of me was afraid that I would be let
> down by the moment - that the person and the place could not meet the
> lofty expectations of my fantasy world.  This says nothing about my
> esteem for President Bush but just my practical realization that reality
> may not match my "dream".  Once inside the office, President Bush got
> right down to business and, standing in front of his desk, handed out the
> awards one at a time while posing for photos with the winners and Mrs.
> Bush.
>
> With the mission accomplished, the President and Mrs. Bush relaxed and
> initiated a lengthy, informal conversation about a number of things with
> our entire small group.  He and the First Lady talked about such things
> as the rug in the office.  It is traditionally designed by the First Lady
> to make a statement about the President, and Mrs. Bush chose a brilliant
> yellow sunburst pattern to reflect 'hope.' President Bush talked about
> the absolute need to believe that with hard work and faith in God there
> is every reason to start each day in the Oval Office with hope.
>
> 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.
>
> When asked what the biggest challenge of the Presidency was, he talked
> about the daily frustration of partisan politics.  'This from a
> politician,' he said.  He said that when he was elected he promised that
> he would do in DC what he had done in Texas and that was build alliances
> and coalitions that bridged party lines in order to move the nation
> forward.  He had quickly learned that there are those in the nation's
> capital that would rather see the nation dismantled than work together to
> achieve a common good.  "That", he said "is a bitter and continuing
> disappointment."
>
> The President talked about the artwork and other items of interest in the
> room.  For instance the desk he uses is the one that was given to the
> U.S. by Queen Victoria and used by FDR and JFK.  In fact FDR had a front
> panel added to the desk to cover the mid section because FDR did not want
> the country to know he was in a wheelchair.  President Bush laughed and
> said, "My how things have changed, FDR hid a wheelchair and if I eat a
> pretzel and get a tingle in my arm it's front page news around the
> globe."   That little desk faux front is hinged by the way, and is the
> door that we all have seen John-John sticking his head from behind in the
> famous photo of JFK at work.
>
> The President also noted that much of the artwork in the office is from
> Texas or about Texas.  He said that it made sense for him to have it in
> his office because Texas is part of who he is.  He talked about family
> and place and faith helping to build the person you end up being and
> noted that the Oval Office reflected who he is.  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.  If they like
> what they see, he may have another four years. If not, then he may be
> going back to Texas.
>
> After about 30 or 35 minutes, it was time to go.  By then we were all
> relaxed and I felt as if I had just had an excellent visit with a friend.
>  The President and First Lady made one more pass down the line of
> awardees, shaking hands and offering congratulations.  When the President
> shook my hand I said, "thank you Mr. President and God bless you and your
> family."
>
> He was already in motion to the next person in line, but he stopped
> abruptly, turned fully back to me, gave me a piercing look, renewed the
> vigor of his handshake and said, "Thank you - and God bless you and yours
> as well."
>
> On our way out of the office we were to leave by the glass doors on the
> west side of the office.  I was the last person in the exit line.  As I
> shook his hand one final time, President Bush said, "I'll be sure to tell
> Marc hello and give him your regards."  I then did something that
> surprised even me.  I said to him, "Mr. President, I know you are a busy
> man and your time is precious.  I also 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.
>
> Bruce Vincent
>