When Malia and Sasha Obama first arrived at the White
House, the Bush twins, Jenna and Barbara Bush penned a
letter offering advice for the young Obama girls as their father
took over the Oval Office. The Bush twins are the daughters
of the 43rd president of the United States of America, George
W. Bush Jnr. 8 years later, they have written a farewell letter
to the sisters. This time they also shared never-before-seen
photos that they took with the Obama sisters. Jenna Bush
Hager who is now married and has a 3 year old daughter and
her sister Barbara wrote:
"Malia and Sasha, eight years ago on a cold
November day, we greeted you on the steps of the
White House. We saw both the light and wariness in
your eyes as you gazed at your new home. We left our
jobs in Baltimore and New York early and traveled to
Washington to show you around. To show you the
Lincoln Bedroom, and the bedrooms that were once
ours, to introduce you to all the people—the florists,
the grounds-keepers and the butlers—who dedicate
themselves to making this historic house a home. The
four of us wandered the majestic halls of the house
you had no choice but to move in to.
When you slid
down the banister of the solarium, just as we had
done as 8-year-olds and again as 20-year-olds
chasing our youth, your joy and laughter were
contagious.
"In eight years, you have done so much. Seen so
much. You stood at the gates of the Robben Island
cell where South Africa’s Nelson Mandela was
imprisoned for decades, your arms around your father.
You traveled to Liberia and Morocco with your mom
to talk with girls about the importance of education—
girls who saw themselves in you, saw themselves in
your parents, saw who they could become if they
continued to study and learn. You attended state
dinners, hiked in national parks, met international
leaders and managed to laugh at your dad’s jokes
during the annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon, all while
being kids, attending school and making friends. We
have watched you grow from girls to impressive
young women with grace and ease.
"And through it all you had each other. Just like we
did.
"Now you are about to join another rarified club, one
of former First Children—a position you didn’t seek
and one with no guidelines. But you have so much to
look forward to. You will be writing the story of your
lives, beyond the shadow of your famous parents, yet
you will always carry with you the experiences of the
past eight years.
"Never forget the wonderful people who work
at the White House. Our greeter as 7-year-olds
at our grandfather’s Inauguration was Nancy,
the White House florist, who ushered us in
from the cold. She helped us make colorful
bouquets of winter flowers for our
grandparents’ bedside. Twenty years later,
Nancy did the flowers for Jenna’s wedding.
Cherish your own Nancy. We stay in touch
with our Secret Service. They were part of
growing up for us: there for first dates, first
days and even an engagement and a
honeymoon. We know it wasn’t always easy—
the two of you and the two of us were
teenagers trailed by men in backpacks—but
they put their lives on hold for us.
"Enjoy college. As most of the world knows, we did.
And you won’t have the weight of the world on your
young shoulders anymore. Explore your passions.
Learn who you are. Make mistakes—you are allowed
to. Continue to surround yourself with loyal friends
who know you, adore you and will fiercely protect
you. Those who judge you don’t love you, and their
voices shouldn’t hold weight. Rather, it’s your own
hearts that matter".
On TODAY, Jenna said she and her sister Barbara
have found life after the White House to be "really
terrific" and hope that Malia and Sasha will have a
similar experience.
"It's just amazing how fast eight years go by and how
they've become these really unbelievable women and
we just wanted to make sure they knew," she said.
