George W. Bush Gushes Late Mom Barbara Taught Him to ‘Live, Love and Laugh’

For former first lady Barbara Bush‘s 90th birthday in 2016, George W. Bush and her other children wrote essays about the lessons their beloved mother taught them throughout their lives. Now, three years later, the stories are being revealed in the late literacy advocate’s new book Pearls of Wisdom: Little Pieces of Advice.

In the memoir, which is a collection of stories written by Barbara’s family and friends, her famous children recall their favorite memories with their mom. In George’s excerpt specifically, the former U.S. president gushed how his mom taught him and his five siblings to “live, love and laugh.”

“Mom taught me how to laugh, how to see irony, how to verbally joust,” George, 73, wrote, according to the book. “She had a doormat in our home in Houston that said, ‘Birds fly high because they take themselves lightly.’ She always took her duties seriously, like that of first lady. But never herself.”

While the former governor of Texas praised his late mom — who died at the age of 92 in April 2018 — for her vivacious spirit, George’s brothers, Jeb Bush, Neil Bush and Marvin Bush, credited their mother for teaching them how to be a “good parent.”

“Mom has taught me to be a better parent, a better person and a better citizen,” Neil sweetly penned. George’s sister Dorothy Koch, on the other hand, wrote that she feels “even more honored to be able to stay that I am Barbara Bush’s daughter.” Aww!

At the time of Barbara’s death in 2018, George released a statement honoring his incredible mother’s life.

“Barbara Bush was a fabulous first lady and a woman unlike any other who brought levity, love, and literacy to millions,” he gushed at the time. “To us, she was so much more. Mom kept us on our toes and kept us laughing until the end. I’m a lucky man that Barbara Bush was my mother.”

As fans remember, Barbara’s longtime husband, George H. W. Bush, sadly died just months after he lost his wife of 73 years. The former president was 94 years old at the time of his death in November 2018. Following the loss of his beloved dad, George shared a statement on behalf of his brood.

“George H. W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41’s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens.”