Deanna's Presidential Visit

Deanna's standing in line right now to see President Bush. Her Grandparents were going to see him again and invited her to go with them. She had to be cleared by the Secret Service and we ran out yesterday afternoon and bought her a darling outfit to wear. I had to get her up at 5:30 this morning for the trip, which is only 1 1/2 hours, but they wanted to be there plenty early to get a good place in line.

Deanna called a few minutes ago to tell me they hadn't gotten through the doors yet. But she said that there were more people behind them than in front of them.

She's really excited. When President Bush ran for election the first time, she got up out of bed and came into the living room where I was watching the returns. She sat up with me for several hours, trying to understand the political process (at all of 4 years old) and sharing in my excitement. When it became obvious that we weren't going to have a final decision that night, we both went to bed. The next morning, we turned on the news to see what had happened and heard about the contested race and all the ballot problems. After listening, we committed to each other to pray every day that George W. Bush would be our next president. Right then and there, we knelt on the floor in the living room and asked for God's intervention in this important election.

We kept our commitment and prayed together every day until Bush finally was confirmed. We watched the Inauguration together and cried, thanking the Lord for the godly man He had put in the White House.

She's never forgotten that. So when Grandma and Grandpa invited her to go with them, she was thrilled. I tried to explain to her that she might not get his autograph or get to shake his hand. Last time my parents saw him, they were Patrons (paid good money for that title) and were at a Luncheon with Congressmen, etc., when the President came in. The group was fairly small and that's why Grandma got her cheek kissed and Grandpa got his hand shook. This event is free and open to the public (within limits, of course - you had to submit your name in advance to be investigated by the Secret Service and were issued tickets) so there will likely be thousands of people. It's doubtful Deanna will get very close to the President, but we sure can hope. And even if she doesn't get close, she WILL get to see him in person.

I hope she's not disappointed. And I hope she gets to make personal contact with President Bush. Mostly, I hope this is something she'll always remember.

It's an opportunity I've never had.