Awestruck in Perry Georgia

Okay. I’ll admit. I was awestruck. When a sitting President of the United States of America walks in a room of 6500 supporters it lights up.

Big time.


As a warm up there was a local music group called Grapevine that was entertaining the crowd. They played the kind of music I grew up on. I made the comment that there was someone in the audience watching them saying, "I cannot believe my granddaddy is dancing like that."

The crowd went nuts when the President was introduced and he walked in the room. It was the kind of noise you hear when someone scores a touchdown on the last play of the game to win the championship.

It was really loud.

I got really close to Herschel Walker in New Orleans when Georgia beat Notre Dame to win the national championship. I’ve stood within an arms length of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods more than a few times. I even sat next to Julian Knight (the Mayor of Reynolds, GA) for an entire football game this year.

But I have never had the opportunity to be in an audience when the most powerful human being in the world gave a speech. I was within 40 yards and I can tell you I listened to every word.

I remember the day I got married and my wife and I were driving down the road heading to the Atlanta Airport. I happened to notice that my wife’s smile was frozen. I looked in the mirror and mine was the same. We had been smiling for so long for pictures and all that goes into getting married, we were stuck.

I felt the same thing tonight. I found myself grinning from ear to ear when the President walked in the room. I looked at several people who were standing close to us and they were grinning too. Everybody was grinning.


We went to eat afterwards with some friends and they made the same comment. They said all they could do was grin when the President walked in the room. (Photo L-R Kristi Walls, Kathy, Sara and Chris Peisher)

When I left the rally I was not grinning though.

I was thinking about the responsibility that is on this man’s shoulder. We have a war going on unlike any war this country has ever experienced. North Korea has just been testing a nuclear weapon. We have taken prayer out of our schools and have left God out of everything else. One of the most ridiculous debates of the century going on concerns the validity of same-sex marriages.

These are not easy times. I wouldn’t have his job for all the money in the world. But I left there determined to remember to keep this man in my prayers.

Maybe you should consider the same.

And it doesn’t matter if you are a Republican or Democrat or Independent.

George W. Bush is our President and he needs wisdom that only comes from above.