Everything Beautiful in Its Time: Seasons of Love and Loss

I have to admit that I've never been a fan of the Bush family politically, but as a Texan, I readily acknowledge that there's much to like and even admire about them personally. So I was curious about this memoir, of sorts, written by George W Bush's daughter, Jenna.Now married & with children of her own, she writes to remember and to share her memories of both her paternal and maternal grandparents with family, friends, and especially with her little ones. Happily, with their encouragement, she has chosen to share them with us as well.As a collection of essays, anecdotes, letters & pictures - it's almost like a virtual scrapbook. It's inspiring, & with the advantages of digital technology available to us now, our own family has even begun discussing putting together something similar for our parents.I expected the book to be heart-warming, but honestly found it far more touching than I had anticipated. George Sr's love letters to Barbara were so incredibly sweet. As were the family traditions & bonding moments like going fishing & walking to the gate. And Jenna's letter to her Ganny on her first birthday in heaven is so poignant - though my favorite part is when Jenna's little girl runs outside & tells the sky with arms outstretched "Happy birthday, Ganny. I love you"!This is a wonderful book! I'm really grateful to Jenna for sharing her family's precious memories with us!

A very good read! Well written and so wonderful to find out what great love the family has for each other.

This book is so well written. She gives the reader an enjoyable view into her life as well as some wonderful bits of things she has learned in her life and what those things meant to her. I have already given this book as a gift and would do it again.

Such a beautiful homage to really wonderful grandparents. Jenna was truly blessed to have had great, loving, warm, and tough people in her life. And I am happy that she decided to share them with the rest of us. I was fortunate to have seen Barbara Bush (First Lady) speak at Albion college ( a small liberal arts college in MI). She embodied grace, wit, intelligence, warmth, and a backbone of steel. Remarkable woman. And the other grandparents were her equal in all the things that matter to their family. She’d many a year while reading this book....all happy.

This <b>4 Star</b> heartfelt memoir is a loving tribute written by Jenna Bush Hager about about her beloved grandparents.<b>SUMMARY</b>As a Texan, I have always followed and admired the Bush family. Occasionally, there are even Laura Bush sightings in my neighborhood. She appears from time to time at my church. And, a friend of mine actually saw her browsing the greeting card section in our neighborhood grocery store. My friend said it took everything within her to not run over to the former first lady and say, "hey girl, what's up?" Ever since I heard that, I grocery shop there every chance I get. Still no Laura sighting for me, but I'm always peeking in the card section to see if I can catch a glimpse of her.When I visited Maine, I made my husband drive us as close to the Bush compound in Kennebunkport as we could get, without ending up on an FBI watch list. I just wanted to see if I could get see their view of the ocean.I remember being indignant for Jenna and Barbara when it actually became a news story that Jenna, while a student at the University of Texas, had a drink in a bar. How did a college student drinking with her friends even make the news???Not only do I have the Dallas connection, but the Bush family ranch is near the city where I went to college. Occasionally, when something newsworthy was happening with George W, the hotels in town would be jam packed with press and it would be impossible for visiting parents to find a hotel room.I should also mention that I live within walking distance to the George W Bush Museum on SMU campus. I have visited it several times and love the Laura Bush gown collection.Obviously, with all these "close, personal connections" to the family, I should legitimately get to be BFF's with Jenna and Barbara. Right? Well, no such luck so I'll have to settle for reading Jenna's books.Jenna fills this book with stories of her grandparents, not just the famous Bush side, but she also talks about how her mothers parents influenced her. Her stories tell of a tight knit family committed to serving others.She talks about her relationship with her parents, grandparents and her sister. She talks about her career and how she worried that people would think she only got her Today Show job because of her famous dad. She is extremely candid about motherhood, both the high and low moments. There are some very sweet moments and interesting stories.<b>WHAT I LOVED</b>I really loved how, although she is a very privileged person, it was clear from her book that what she truly values is quiet moments with her family. She adores her husband, children, sister, parents and grandparents. She loved growing up in a large extended family, spending summers with her cousins and started fishing just so she could have time with her father and grandfather. She seems to be able to fins beauty in the small things.What I could relate most was her struggle to maintain balance as a working mom. She tells a story of racing out of work one day because she was late meeting her daughters school bus. She was in a panic, fearing for her daughters safety and feeling like a bad mommy. That was a feeling I could completely relate to! When my son was five, I was so busy juggling work and motherhood that I missed the soccer sign up deadline. It seems small but it was a horrible oversight on my part. I was devastated because it was the most important thing to him at the time and had let him down. I actually closed my office door and cried at work because I felt like such a bad mommy! Does Jenna Bush, former first kid and current anchor of the today show, have the same problems that I do??? Amazing!!It's kind of cute how she constantly down plays her family's wealth. She made mention of a little three bedroom ranch house they had in Dallas when she and Barbara were young, but glosses over the Fact that that house waa just a starter house and that she also had access to the huge family compound in Maine and the huge ranch her parents own in Crawford, TX.Jenna is the Audible version narrator and the story sounds so natural coming directly from her.<b>WHAT I DIDN'T LOVE</b>Jenna is earnest. Maybe a little too much? Occasionally it sounds like she's trying to defend the privileged life she was born into. Clearly, she had no control over the circumstances of her birth and she shouldn't have to defend it, but it sounds like she's trying to prove she is just not an over privileged spoiled girl.

There really are not words to describe how lovely this book is. Jenna writes so you wish you knew her because her heart and her thoughts are so amazing. Stories of all the people in her life that she has loved and the life lessons she has learned from them. You will find laughter, you will find tears and always honesty. This book is such a pleasure to read.

I have never read a book by Jenna Bush Hager but this book is a loving tribute to her grandparents on both sides of her family. I cried many times while reading it. We all thought we knew the Bush family, and I always respected the presidents and their wives, but this really gives insight to the wonderful people they were and how they shaped the lives of the children. The grandparents on both sides helped create a loving family. To have your whole life so public must be very hard and especially while grieving. This book is so worth reading and I'm so very glad I bought it.

I don't normally write reviews for books on Amazon, but this one deserves it! It also deserves your time and energy! It is a beautiful remembrance of Jenna's grandparents - all 4 of them. So well written and full of lovely reminiscing. I read it quickly but held back a bit because I didn't want it to end too soon! She lost her grandparents in a very short period of time and that is devastating. This book is an outstanding tribute to them all and to Jenna too. I look forward to her next book, whatever the topic may be!