The Original Point of Light - President George H.W. Bush

It was during the 1988 Republican National Convention in George H.W. Bush’s acceptance speech for the Presidential Nomination that he first referred to a “thousand points of light”. His language spoke to "a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky.” The conclusion was that, in service to others,

“The old ideas are new again because they are not old, they are timeless: duty, sacrifice, commitment, and a patriotism that finds its expression in taking part and pitching in.”

 President George H.W. Bush helped institutionalize service as one of our nation’s strongest interventions unleashing potential in the individual and in turn building stronger communities. He lived the core tenets of service throughout his public and private life. Today, we are a nation in need of recommitting to serving the other and to building community – to bringing back the old ideas that are, indeed, the best ideas.

As we collectively mourn the loss of President George H.W. Bush, may each of us, in our own communities find a way to be a point of light in the lives of others. That would be a fitting tribute to his legacy.