Grace, mettle define first lady

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By Jennifer Harper

She has eyes as blue as bluebonnets - and enough grace, sincerity and composure to fill up the entire state of Texas.

And don't forget the kindness, civility and inner mettle.

First lady Laura Bush leaves a legacy of graciousness for America to ponder as she trades the White House for the Lone Star state. It's been close to 3,000 days since Mrs. Bush arrived in Washington to offer a consistent, comforting presence as the nation faced astonishing, unprecedented challenges.

It was Mrs. Bush, of steady gaze and calm demeanor, who told Americans to take solace in their families and communities just days after the Sept. 11 attacks. That public service message revealed a subtle but unmistakable steel in her, a certain protectiveness.

And it was the first lady who has traveled to 75 countries since then, bringing her own brand of global diplomacy to the Middle East and Africa in particular. Mrs. Bush also has drawn renewed and often reinvented attention to literacy, women's health issues, environmental causes, community heritage and the woes of forgotten children.

She is the only first lady to deliver the president's weekly radio address, calling attention to the oppression of women suffering under the Taliban. And she has a memoir coming out as well, tastefully scheduled to be published a year after she leaves public life.

"President Bush and I have had such a special privilege of being able to represent the people of the United States. We'll return to Texas with cherished memories of our friends, our staff, and our time at the White House," Mrs. Bush said.

The events, the people, are "extraordinary."

And that's it for goodbyes, essentially. No grand curtain calls, no giant parties, toastmasters or dramatic speeches on some Jumbotron somewhere.

"Laura Bush did it right. Hard-working, patient, always gracious. And nice. History will give her very high marks," said talk-show host Greta Van Susteren of Fox News, who accompanied Mrs. Bush on a tour of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.