Pearls for Barbara

On Saturday afternoon the scheduling stars aligned. We quickly loaded into the car - Tom, Will, Hallie, Tom's parents, and me - and drove a mile down the road to where the main thoroughfare of our neighborhood meets the highway. We parked in the parking lot of a closed bank, walked through the overgrown grasses on the side of the feeder until we had a decent vantage point, and then waited in the drizzling rain for Barbara.

Hundreds lined that section of the highway, as well as the 100-mile stretch between Houston and College Station. Thousands more - including 700 members of the TAMU Corps of Cadets - lined the streets leading into town and closer to campus. Along the way, signs thanked her for her service, flags flew proudly in the wind, and grateful men, women, and children stood.

"Not to be maudlin, but do you know where your resting place will be?"

"You bet! And I'd be glad to show it to you."

"Where is it?"

"It's at College Station. It's the prettiest place you ever saw."

On Saturday, former First Lady Barbara Bush was laid to rest on the grounds of the Bush Library and Museum on the campus of Texas A&M University.

She was a strong woman, one who loved her country, her family, and the opportunity she was given to serve the public as an advocate for universal literacy. As residents of College Station - and citizens of these United States of America - we were proud to show our respect as she took her final ride through the great state of Texas.

This is a powerful video taken from inside one of the police cars that led the motorcade through College Station.