if you're wondering why you haven't heard of this, it is being release odd christmas. >> i thought that was jason alexander from "seinfeld". good morning, america. winter weather warning. millions in the path of powerful storms coast to coast. snow and ice causing these accidents in the east and heavy rain leading to crashes out west. now a new storm on the move. california to virginia bracing. breaking news. search for survivors. two u.s. marine planes crashing overseas. seven crew members lost in the water. overnight, at least two marines found. now the race against time to rescue the others. also this morning. the nation says one last farewell to president george h.w. bush. now back in houston after that emotional day in washington. the incredible scene, all the

living u.s. presidents together and the powerful tribute from his son. >> a great and noble man, the best father a son or daughter could have had. >> now the big celebration of his life and final good-bye in texas. an abc news exclusive. the woman accusing the nfl star of domestic abuse now breaking her silence. >> he dragged me down the stairs, he punched me in my face, kicked me, spit on me. >> as outrage grows over washington's decision to sign him to a multimillion-dollar contract. attacked by a hippo. the american tourist canoeing with her husband when one of the deadliest animals on the planet flips over their boat. how she escaped. and going for gold. which stars are about to wake up golden globe nominees? plus, right here on "gma," our special correspondent this morning, jennifer aniston, and

her very special guest, only on "gma." >> good morning, america. and look who is here. >> hi. wow, dolly and jen together. good morning, america, on this thursday morning. good to have you back, george. that was quite a powerful celebration. >> it was a privilege to be there. majestic, inspiring, so many simple human moments as well, and today the nation will say their last good-bye to the 41st president. that is a live look at st. martin's episcopal church in houston. a private memorial will be held there later today. >> and he attended that church for more than 50 years. after the service he will be buried at the bush presidential library in college station. amy is there for us. we'll have more in a moment. but first, we begin with that powerful storm on the move after heavy snow and rain caused accidents from california to new jersey. ginger, of course, is tracking it all for us. good morning, ginger. >> good morning, robin. good morning, everybody.

i see the snow, east springfield, pennsylvania, so that's western pennsylvania, that was lake effect, up to 5 inches. that's what interstate 90 looked like. then you go through an isolated storm that brought 3 to 7 1/2 inches to egg harbor township. this is actually ocean heights avenue where you see accidents, flipped cars, and then in boone, north carolina, also picked up some of that snow. totally different system, seaworld actually closed today because of rain and then it settles in. for saturday, it's snow and ice through parts of the plains. it's heavy rain for a place like college station. we're talking about anywhere from 3 inches to 6 inches of rain in some of those just northwest of houston areas and then it really is a big deal for sunday. some of the areas in north carolina, virginia looking for up to a foot of snow. michael. >> thank you, ginger. now to that breaking news. at least two american marines are found after two marine aircraft crashed into the waters off the coast of japan last night. an urgent search and rescue mission is under way. our chief global affairs

correspondent martha raddatz has the very latest. good morning, martha. >> reporter: good morning, michael. sadly, one of those two recovered marines has been declared dead this morning. those five others still missing after taking part in one of the most challenging maneuvers outside of combat midair refueling. this morning, rescuers battling high winds and rough seas looking for the missing marines, the accident occurred in the middle of the night. high above the water some 200 miles off the coast of japan. the f-18 fighter jet attempting to get fuel from the massive kc-130 like this one. the refueler has retractible hoses attached to each wing. the small jet must approach the refueler midair and plug a nozzle into the basket. but something went terribly wrong. both aircraft ending up in the water indicating the two planes likelyollided.

two marines were in the fighter jet, which is equipped with ejection seats. there were five marines in the refueler. u.s. and japanese ships immediately began search and rescue efforts finding those two marines. the search goes on for the remaining five. the accident happened on the same day a report was released about the cause of a deadly kc-130 crash last year in mississippi which killed 16. the cause of that was found to be poor maintenance. and military investigators are already looking to see what may have caused last night's accident, whether it was fatigue or weather. but right now, the focus is on the search for those five missing marines. michael. >> all right, thank you so much, martha. george. we're going to turn now to the last good-bye for president george h.w. bush. the final services begin later this morning after the state funeral wednesday where america's 41st president was remembered for his service,

his statesmanship and his decency. george w. bush capped it off with an emotional eulogy for his father and former president as all of america's living presidents watched from the national cathedral. terry moran is there now. good morning, terry. >> reporter: good morning, george. as washington gets back to business, maybe there's something lingering in the air here. we can only hope. from what we were all celebrating at this cathedral in that touching and splendid ceremony yesterday, the gift of a good american life, a gift george bush gave the country he loved. as some of the final mourners pay their respects to the late president this morning -- ♪ -- it was on wednesday in solemn splendor that the nation paused to honor george herbert walker bush, an affectionate farewell to a president, an american patriot of the old school and a good man. amid high ceremony, sorrow and plenty of laughter, members of current and past cabinets and congresses all gathered in unity in remembrance of a man whose lifelong ambition was to serve in high office and in daily

life. this historic moment, the 43rd president, his son, george w. bush celebrating his father's legacy by talking about what he learned about being a president. >> he showed me what it means to be a president who serves with integrity, leads with courage and acts with love in his heart for the citizens of our country. when the history books are written, they will say that george h.w. bush was a great president of the united states. >> reporter: and there in the front, a tableau of our history, four u.s. presidents looking on together for the first time since president trump's inauguration. president trump and first lady melania trump both greeting their immediate predecessors, former president barack obama and first lady michelle obama. former president bill clinton looked on and hillary clinton mostly choosing to look straight ahead at the altar. seated next to her, former president jimmy carter and rosalynn carter. there were plenty of tears but

lighthearted moments too from this roast from former wyoming senator alan simpson who said bush loved a good joke. >> but he never, ever could remember a punch line. [ laughter ] and i mean never. >> reporter: and in a poignant moment, the 43rd president overcome with emotion, a loving son's good-bye to his dad. >> and we're going to miss you. your decency, sincerity and kind soul will stay with us forever. so through our tears, let us know the blessings of knowing and loving you, a great and noble man, the best father a son or daughter could have. and in our grief let us smile knowing that dad is hugging robin and holding mom's hand again. >> reporter: just a shattering moment there. it's hard to say good-bye to a man like that even after all these years, and the family will

say its final farewell in houston, and then that train ride aboard locomotive 4141 to have george bush taken to his final resting place in college station, texas, george. >> and terry, we know now that president bush got to hear at least one of the eulogies. >> reporter: what a great story this is, george. so, jon meacham, his biographer, in his final months polished up the eulogy and he called george bush and said, do you want to hear it? he said yes. so he read out the eulogy we heard yesterday and george bush's reaction, very typical. he said, that's a lot about me, jon. >> that is the idea. okay, terry, thanks very much. and george, the former president now lying in repose at st. martin's episcopal church in houston where he and his beloved wife barbara regularly worshipped. amy is there with more on the final tributes ahead. good morning, amy. >> reporter: robin, good morning. the church was kept open throughout the night for 12

hours so houstonians could bid their final farewells. the bush family has been a part of the houston community since 1959. they worshipped here at st. martin's. barbara bush's own memorial service was held here back in april. they took a picture as we watched president bush bid farewell to his wife. now a private funeral will be held with invited guests. from here the president's casket will be taken to a special locomotive painted in the colors of air force one, the same plane used during his presidency, and you can see the number on that train, 4141, all in his honor. the casket in a see-through car so that mourners can view it as it passes by that 70-mile trek. it will then be taken to the

bush presidential library in college station, texas, where it will be laid to rest beside his wife and their daughter robin who died of leukemia at 3 years old. his son george w. bush says what gives his family joy and threest a smile to know that their father will be with their mother and their sister as of today. robin. >> thank you. george, i know you'll anchor our live coverage of the final ceremonies honoring former president george h.w. bush starting at 11:00 a.m. eastern here on abc. and now, we're going to go to an arrest that is sending ripples through the global stock market this morning. as investors closely watch wall street after that nearly 800-point plunge on tuesday, our chief business correspondent rebecca jarvis is here with the latest. good morning, rebecca. >> reporter: yeah, good morning. we are seeing an impact this morning. a stock sell-off around the world this morning following

that near 800-point loss on tuesday, due to uncertainty over the president's trade deal with china. this is one of the largest smartphone companies in the world, the cfo and daughter of huawei's founder was arrested while changing flights in canada. she's set to be extradited to america. senator ben sasse from nebraska told reporter that the arrest was linked to her company's alleged dealings with iran, a country the united states has strict sanctions against. and the u.s. is concerned that the chinese government could be using huawei's networking technology to spy on americans. the bottom line is the ripple effect on u.s. stocks. it will continue. lots of volatility ahead. >> all right, make sure to keep our eye on wall street this morning. now to the latest on a deadly crash overnight. a semi-truck slamming into a school bus carrying a high school girls basketball team

killing two adults and injuring several students. alex perez is in chicago with more. good morning, alex. >> reporter: good morning, robin. a horrifying situation for this freshman team. they were on the bus. everything was going smoothly when suddenly a semi-truck traveling in the wrong direction comes right at them. overnight, a girls high school basketball team in the hospital after a deadly head-on collision in illinois. >> we've had multiple subjects injured. at least eight. the semi hit a school bus. >> reporter: according to authorities, the girls basketball team was heading back from a game when a semi-truck driving on the wrong side of the interstate slammed into them head-on. the impact so powerful the front end of the bus appears to be pushed back into the second row, killing the driver of the semi and the girls' bus driver, 72-year-old charles crabtree, who volunteered with the team. this morning, all of the students in stable condition.

their coach still in serious condition. and authorities say they're still investigating how exactly that semi-truck driver ended up on the wrong side of the highway. george. >> okay, alex, thanks. we're going to turn now to that frightening accident at an amazon warehouse in new jersey where a robot punctured a can of bear spray, sickening dozens of people. this is raising concerns about automated systems. >> good morning. one worker is still in critical condition this morning after being exposed to fumes from bear repellent. here's what happened. this robot accidentally punctured a can of bear repellent and it then released a chemical which is the main ingredient in pepper spray. this happened in a massive 1.3 million-square-foot warehouse. employees, they were complaining of difficulty breathing, burning throats. 4 taken to the hospital. 30 treated on scene. >> what is amazon saying? >> about the robots and whatnot, they say that these robots do

not replace human workers. they have 100,000 globally and they plan to add more but the retail, wholesale and department store union are firing back saying quote, amazon's automated robots put humans in life-threatening danger. the richest company in the world cannot continue to be let off the hook for putting hard working people's lives at risk. as for amazon, they're saying the safety of our employees is one of their top priorities. the employees plan to be released from the hospital today. we reached out to amazon they say this won't impact holiday delivers. now we turn to that big morning for hollywood. the golden globe nominations, andy samberg and sandra oh will host the awards ceremony and this morning, we now know who could be getting one. abc's chris connelly is in los angeles with a preview. good morning to you, chris. >> reporter: good morning, michael. golden globes ninations this morning. strong performances for black panther and for the favorite "a

star is vice leading the way with six nominations. one for christian beal, amy adams. and sam rockwell. ♪ >> reporter: anything but a shallow morning for "a star is born." with five nominations. including bradley cooper. lady gaga in best actress, drama and best film, drama. five-nomination morning for the favorite, made to order for the globes. cleaned up in the comedy musical categories. for acting nominations for emma

sto stone. ♪ we will rock you >> reporter: the best actor candidate for "bohemian rhapsody." green book also with five. spike lee's "blackkklansman" with five. they have reached multiple nominations this morning for mary poppins. >> once the s.a.g. nominations come in next week we'll have a good idea of who will be oscar front-runners. >> a lot of great choices out there. >> sure are. >> we'll learn a lot more in an hour. back to ginger. >> i haven't seen any of those movies because all i've watched is disney's mickey's christmas on loop with my 3-year-old. but i want to.

it's very exciting. boone, north carolina, up to 4 inches of snow. look how much more to get in western north carolina. you can see 6 to 12 inches with that storm by sunday. in the middle back through the plains will be ice. it really only takes that quarter inch or half inch to start accumulating on some of the roads and some of the power lines and we could see major issues from conway, arkansas, right through louisville, kentucky, and north and west of nashville on saturday into sunday. messy weekend ahead.

coming up, that exclusive with the woman accusing an nfl star of domestic violence. she's breaking her silence as outrage grows over washington's decision to sign him. and that underwater attack. a hippo flips over an american woman's canoe and drags her under. how she escaped from one of the deadliest animals on the planet. deadliest animals on the planet. we saved hundreds on our car insurance when we switched to geico. this is how it made me feel. it was like that feeling

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good morning, east bay. let's get up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. >> and good morning. i'm reggie aqui from abc 7 mornings. it's 7:23. b.a.r.t. is scrambling to solve parking problems at its station in antioch. officials expected to see about 2,700 riders daily when the station first opened last may. instead, an average of 3,000 commuters use that station. and there's only enough parking for a thousand cars. b.a.r.t. says it's found about $16 million in funding to build an additional 800 parking spaces. the board expected to discuss that issue at its meeting today. so b.a.r.t., obviously, more popular than it thought it was going to be, alexis. >> yeah, that does not surprise me one bit. i don't think anyone wants to sit in this traffic if they don't have to, in their vehicles. and i do have updates to a

couple of earlier crashes here this morning. westbound 580 at castro valley boulevard, giving you the thumbs up. rollover crash just cleared. that is still adding about 10 to 15 minutes to your drive on westbound 580 and a long-term blocking situation here. southbound 101 past petaluma boulevard, a motorcycle wreck is still in the clearing stages. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ connecting people... ...uniting the world. ♪♪

now your accuweather forecast with mike nicco. >> hey, good morning. thanks for sticking around and checking out our current temperatures from 35 in santa rosa to about 53 in san francisco. clouds clearing out, creating those microclimates. and it looks pretty dry out there. there may be a damp spot or two left, but good for the commute planner today. just grab those sunglasses, you'll need them. my accuweather seven-day forecast, the dry weather lasts through at least sunday afternoon and a light storm for sunday night into monday morning. >> mike, thanks. coming up on "gma," you'll hear from an nfl linebacker's

accuser. ruben foster arrested for domestic violence, but then signed by the washington redskins sparking widespread outrage. and we'll

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♪ i'm off the deep end, watch as i dive in ♪ welcome back to "gma" and we love that scene from "a star is born." in fact, love the whole movie. >> yep. >> it is a movie that's starring lady gaga and bradley cooper, it's a huge hit at the box office, but will it be a huge hit with critics? we're going to find out when the golden globe nominations are announced coming up. >> have you heard him sing the song, michael? >> many times. >> gaga called me for a remix but i turned her down. >> all right now. want to spread the wealth. >> why is everybody laughing? it wasn't a joke. >> because we've heard you sing. we're going to have more on that ahead. but first, the top headlines we're following right now. former president george h.w.

bush will be laid to rest today in college station, texas, at the bush presidential library after a final funeral service at his church of 50 years, st. martin's episcopal church, there in houston. and gm's ceo mary barra meeting with lawmakers in washington on the heels of that announcement that the company is cutting thousands of jobs in the u.s. barra says she's looking at opportunities for those workers and is committed to keeping, quote, an open mind. she will meet with lawmakers again today. and take a look at this incredible rescue in florida. oh, a group of fishermen jumping into action to save a man who was trapped after his car crashed. he broke a few bones but is thankfully, thankfully, doing all right. but those good samaritans jumping in to help. >> hit with such high velocity. we turn to new developments in the case of the american woman murdered on vacation in costa rica. we're now learning of a possible motive as many ask how to be sure online vacation rentals are

safe. eva pilgrim here with the story. good morning, eva. >> reporter: good morning, george, we are learning new details about what happened to carla stefaniak. authorities now giving a motive saying the attack was sexually motivated. this morning, the family of carla stefaniak devastated. >> it's too much for us. that's too much for us. >> reporter: trying to make sense of her brutal murder while on vacation in costa rica celebrating her birthday. >> second day, hot springs. >> reporter: police arresting bismarck martinez, a 32-year-old security guard who lived in a room near the airbnb rental where stefaniak was staying. airbnb has removed the listing from the site but listings for the complex are still active on other websites, one write-up touting 24/7 guard service for the safety of our guests and their property. the complex's owner telling abc news, it has temporarily closed the facility during the police investigation, adding, it is deeply saddened and devastated by the tragic events and is fully cooperating with the authorities.

but stefaniak's murder now raising questions about the safety of vacation rentals. >> welcome to the world of trips. airbnb. >> reporter: there is no screening process to become an airbnb host. guests rate and review their accommodations after their stay. housekeeping services and security are negotiated between the host and guest. but there is no common vetting process. while most airbnb and other rental experiences go off without a hitch, there is a growing list of horror stories. last month, authorities say this couple from new orleans died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a mexican airbnb, the unit apparently did not have a working detector. and last year, one florida couple discovered they were being secretly recorded after finding a small camera hidden inside a smoke detector in their rental unit. that owner was sentenced to a year behind bars and banned from listing on airbnb for life. experts say the key to a good rental experience is communication. reach out to the owner before

you rent. that way you know if you can reach out to them during your stay. you can ask them any questions you might have. also you get a feel for them so you can have a gut feeling about whether or not this is a good idea all before you ever decide to actually rent. >> makes sense. thanks, eva. >> thank you, eva. now to the american tourist attacked by a hippo in africa. the giant animal knocking the woman out of her canoe and dragging her under the water. abc's whit johnson is here and how did she escape? >> reporter: michael, it's really incredible. this woman fought back, literally punching her way out of the hippo's mouth. a source close to the family telling us it was all part of a birthday adventure in africa that nearly turned deadly. this morning, an american woman is lucky to be alive, recovering from a vicious hippopotamus attack in zimbabwe. kristen and ryan yaldor were celebrating her 37th birthday on a canoe trip saturday. a source close to the family telling abc news the guide alerted the couple that hippos

were ahead on the right, urging them to paddle left. that source saying the hippo who was apparently protecting her baby then got under their two-man canoe and launched the couple into the air. ryan swimming to shore. but the hippo chomping down on kristen's leg, fracturing her femur, dragging her underwater. kristen then punching the hippo repeatedly in the face before the massive mammal let her go. she was airlifted to a hospital after escaping. her mother-in-law telling "the tampa bay times," if one of those teeth hit her femoral artery, we would probably be planning her funeral today. by all accounts she was incredibly lucky. hippos are vegetarians but highly territorial. watch this as safari guide nearly escapes an attack in botswana. they can weigh up to 8,000 pounds, run 30 miles per hour and bite with the crushing force of one ton, seen here devouring

watermelons in a single snap. they are the deadliest large land mammal in the world, killing about 500 people per year in africa. and that source close to the family says the couple never intentionally approached the hippo and they were only following directions from their guide. kristen has had two surgeries so far. more may be required but we can't emphasize enough, i mean, how incredibly lucky she was that it wasn't worse. >> i tell you what, i've done that before in the canoes and it was very -- >> around the hippos? >> no, i didn't go around -- i stayed closer to the shore. >> you could see them? >> oh, yeah, i could see them. i'll never do it again. i know now. >> lesson learned. >> yeah. >> thank you, whit. we'll see you this weekend. >> yes. >> all right. coming up, our exclusive with the woman accusing an nfl star of domestic abuse. she's telling her story for the first time next here on "gma." he's gonna do it! ♪ you gotta see this! ♪

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♪ all the ways get gifts in a snap with free two day shipping at target. we are back now with that abc news exclusive with the woman accusing an nfl player of domestic violence. she is breaking her silence as outrage grows over washington's decision to sign him after his arrest. linsey davis sat down with her. good morning, linsey. >> good morning, robin. elissa ennis says that she and linebacker reuben foster dated off and on for more than four years and she also claims he physically abused her several times which is why when he was recently picked up by the washington redskins she says it felt like, quote, a slap in the face. what was your reaction when reuben got signed to the redskins? >> when he got signed i was like i can't believe somebody picked him up and i just couldn't believe somebody picked him up in less than how many hours -- i was shocked. >> reporter: elissa ennis says

she shares the outrage voiced by some across the country in the wake of her ex-boyfriend reuben foster being signed by the washington redskins just days after his arrest last month on suspicion of domestic battery. she says she and foster had taken a break and he had started seeing other people. >> he invited me to come see him in florida and i came and he took one of my phones and he slapped me and pushed me. told him that i was going to tell his new girlfriend that he paid for my flight out there, so that's what triggered it >> reporter: ennis claims foster's abuse in that tampa hotel october 24th left her with these bruises on her neck and face. >> he called me out there so we could work on our relationship and i couldn't believe he was back doing this because we were both seeing therapists and stuff trying to work on our relationship so i was like i can't believe you are back to doing this. >> back to doing this as if this was something that happened several times before? >> yes, ma'am, like three times.

>> what did you do? did you report this to police each time? >> well, the two times i did. one time the neighbors called. the neighbors called the police in october. >> this incident in november you called 911? >> yes, ma'am. >> your ex-boyfriend did what? >> took my phone and broke it and slapped me in my face. >> did it feel like they did not believe you? >> oh, yes, ma'am. even when i called the police the 49ers came up there. i have pictures of the 49ers coming up there trying to talk to the police saying i'm the same ex-girlfriend that sat up there and lied. >> reporter: earlier this year, in february, ennis accused foster of battery but later recanted her story and dropped the allegations. >> reuben threw my clothes off the balcony, he dragged me down the stairs two, three times. he punched me in my face, pulled me by my hair, kicked me, spit on me. >> and then you go to court and then you recant your story? >> yes, ma'am. >> why did you do that? >> because i loved him and love will have you doing things

that's not in your best interest because of the person you love. >> reporter: she told authorities she fabricated the story as part of a money scheme. >> there were previous allegations you referred to a money scheme, i guess to extort money, were you not telling the truth at that point? >> i was not telling the truth. i was not telling the truth. >> so what do you say to people who are saying, well, because you've lied in the past, that's ruined your credibility now? >> well, i did what i had to do for the person i love. i thought that he would change. anybody in my position, they would have did the same thing if they, you know, shared a family with this person. he used to come crying to me telling me he didn't have anybody. if somebody call that you love telling you that they didn't have anybody, you would do the same thing too. like, that's why i did what i did, because i loved him. >> do you still love him? >> i've been getting help and stuff like that. this is not love. love won't do you like that. it's not love.

no, i have been getting help but it's not love. >> reporter: there are now criminal charges pending against foster. the nfl has placed him on the commissioner's exempt list, which keeps him from practicing or playing until his legal case is resolved, but he's still being paid his contract worth more than $9 million. >> well, in a situation like this we have a pattern and practice. so this wasn't an isolated incident that happened in tampa bay. this is a person who's in a relationship with someone, police are called by neighbors that something has gone awry. no one should have to live in fear or in abuse like she did. >> reporter: the president of the redskins tells abc news that the team did its own investigation adding that law enforcement needs to hear both sides and see how this plays out. we also reached out to the 49ers and they said they are reserving comment at this time. no comment from reuben foster. >> hot button. >> how was she when you had her sitting across from you? how is she now? >> she sounds like she's still

in the thick of dealing with trauma. >> yeah, okay. that sounds fair. >> thank you so much, linsey. appreciate that. and coming up, everybody, a layaway angel is revealed. the woman spending $100,000 making holiday wishes come true. we'll be right back. making holiday wishes come true. we'll be right back. we'll be right back. what's that rick? the clarke st street crater, the mother of all potholes, for decades its tormented the people of this town, they've tried to fill it but it always returns, got me good. but you know state farms got you too. yeah. you hear that, you ain't nothing! are you trash talking a pothole? yup. yeah i am. go with the one that's here to help life go right. take my to my breakfast! did you get your backpack ready? now start your day

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kevin, i hav♪ your caramel brulee lattes ready! we are back now with that layaway angel spending $100,000 to make people's holiday wishes come true, just one of the acts of kindness we're seeing all over the country this holiday season. and this one took place in new orleans. >> yeah, it did. >> yes, it did, and lara is here to reveal who the mystery woman is. >> well, you guys, 'tis the season to give back, right? that's exactly what some secret santas are doing around the

country including the owner of robin's favorite team, the new orleans saints. >> reporter: she may not look much like santa, but gayle benson is the woman making christmas wishes come true at a louisiana walmart. >> may god continue to bless you, ms. benson, for thinking about the less of us. we are grateful. >> reporter: the store says benson, the owner of the new orleans saints, shelled out $100,000 to pay off more than 400 layaway orders for total strangers. the store manager speaking exclusively to "gma." >> just show up in the store. was my layaway taken care of? was my layaway taken care of? and, you know, it was honestly -- it was just a bowl of excitement. >> my tablets were -- i'll show you -- paid off, and i would like to thank her very much. >> reporter: and it's not just louisiana. the so-called layaway angels paying off tens of thousands of

dollars in colorado, pennsylvania, new york and vermont, where this mystery man in a patriots jacket settled every account in the store. >> that is the true magic of christmas. that's the christmas spirit walking amongst us. >> so the employees of that walmart in louisiana say gayle benson is a saint. she was hoping to pay off those 400 layaway bills anonymously. team officials did confirm it was her. that guy in vermont, folks at walmart said who can we thank? he said, call me kris kringle. >> they don't want anyone to know. i saw the patriots guy, the saints guy, so maybe the patriots and the saints in the super bowl? >> it's possible. it's possible. but just for you i want to say who dat paying off those bills? >> you've been waiting to do that. thanks for being that to us, lara. jennifer aniston, our special correspondent, what she's getting dolly parton to

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good morning, south bay. let's get is up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. >> good morning. it's 7:56. i'm reggie aqui from abc 7 mornings. and here is meteorologist meek with a look at your day ahead. hi, mike. >> hey, reggie. hi, everybody. still have the dangerous surf raking our beaches through tomorrow morning. otherwise, exercising, errands, anything outside, it's going to be dry with a whole lot of sunshine and temperatures nearing 60 degrees this afternoon. let's take a look at my accuweather seven-day forecast. the dry weather lasts until saturday, sunday afternoon in the north bay and the rest of us will have some wet weather for monday's morning commute. >> all right. taking a look at the roads, mike. we have had a pretty busy morning here today. and we have a new crash to talk about. solo vehicle collision, northbound 101 before marsh. a vehicle hit that center divide there on that left side. sounds like the roadway just fully cleared, but certainly seeing some residual delays and we're finally all-clear,

westbound 80 right around central avenue. pretty heavy here, though, through emeryville. >> thanks, alexis. coming up, abc news coverage of the funeral for george h.w. bush, the one happening in houston, texas. you can always get updates on our news app and abc7news.com and join us every weekday morning from 4:30 to 7:00 a.m.

♪ ♪ connecting people... ...uniting the world. ♪♪

>> announcer: this is an abc news special report. celebrating president george herbert walker bush. now reporting, george stephanopoulos. good morning, and welcome back to our special coverage of america's farewell to their 41st president, george h.w. bush, that is the scene at his home parish in houston, st. martin's episcopal church as you see. his family being escorted into the pews for this funeral service in the home he chose, the home of texas. so many thousands have paid their respects there, as well as we see the former president

george w. bush enter with jeb bush and major general howard by his side throughout all of these ceremonies and amy robach you've been on the scene for the last several days in houston. >> i certainly have, george. and this church has been quite busy over the past 12 hours or so. they opened their doors here to the public around 6:00 p.m. local time last night. so that houstonians could pay their respects to the late president and they certainly came about a thousand people per hour. weave about 12,000 people reported to have passed by president george h.w. bush lying in repose here at the church that he and barbara attended since 1959, they have been houstonians. this is, of course, their adopted home state and this is the parish that they attended. it was just seven months ago that barbara bush had other own memorial services here and we saw a very saddened tear-stained face of president h.w. bush

being wheeled out by his son seven months ago and now we are celebrating the life of the late president and there have been 1200 people reported to be inside the church, invited guests only, a private ceremony, family, friends, some local dignitaries. we know inside j.j. watt, arnold schwarzenegger to name a few of the people here to attend this private funeral service. it should last just about an hour and then we know that the family and some friends will depart for the train station and we know that the coffin will then be put on a train aptly numbered 4141 painted in the colors of air force one when president bush flew it and it will take about a 2 1/2-hour trek down 70 miles towards college station where we know the president will be buried alongside his beloved barbara and his 3-year-old daughter robin who died of leukemia and there will be many pomp and circumstances happening there when that train arrives.

among them, we know that the navy is going to offer a 21 fighter jet flyover. and it's never been done before. >> turn in your bulletin and we'll sing together "o beautiful for spacious skies." ♪ ♪ oh beautiful for spacious skies ♪ ♪ for amber waves of grain ♪ ♪ for purple mountains' majesty above the fruited plain ♪ ♪ america

america ♪ ♪ god shed his grace on thee ♪ ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪ ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ ♪ o beautiful for pilgrim feet ♪ ♪ whose stern impassioned stress ♪ ♪ a thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness ♪ ♪ america america ♪

♪ god mend thine every flaw ♪ ♪ confirm thy soul in self-control ♪ ♪ thy liberty in law ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ oh beautiful for spacious skies ♪ ♪ for amber waves of grain ♪ ♪ for purple mountains' majesty above the fruited plain ♪ ♪ america america ♪ ♪ god shed his grace on thee ♪ ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪ ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ please be seated. we have one anthem that we are going to play and this was one of the anthems that was offered on the day of the 41st president's inauguration. this is "my country." ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ for this is my country ♪ to have and to hold

with faith in jesus christ we receive the body of our brother, george herbert walker bush, for burial. let us pray with confidence to god, the giver of life, that he will raise him to the perfection in the company of the saints. deliver your servant, george, o sovereign lord christ from all evil and set him free from every bond, that he may rest with all your saints in the eternal habitations where with the father and the holy spirit, you live and reign, one god forever and ever, amen. let us also pray for all who mourn, that they may cast their care on god and know the consolation of his love. almighty god, look with pity

upon the sorrows of your servants for whom we pray. remember them, lord, in mercy, nourish them with patience, comfort them with a sense of your goodness, lift up your countenance upon them, and give them peace through jesus christ our lord, amen. please stand.

i am the rest lex and the life, saith the lord, he that believeth in me thougher dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never guy. i know that my redeemer liveth and that he should stand at the latter day upon the earth and though this body be destroyed, yet shall i see god whom i shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold and not as a stranger. for none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to him hafley. for if we live, we live unto the lord. and if we die, we die unto the lord.

whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the lord's. blessed are the dead who die in the lord. even so saith the spirit, for they rest from their labors.

let us sing together our national anthem. ♪ o say, can you see by the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes

and bright stars through the perilous fight ♪ ♪ o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? ♪ ♪ and the rockets' red glare the bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ gave proof through the night that our flag was still there ♪ ♪ oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ ♪ and the home

of the brave? ♪ >> the lord about you. >> and with thy spirit. >> remaining standing, lets pray. o, god, whose mercies cannot be numbered accept our prayers on behalf of thy servant, george herbert walker bush, and grant george an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of thy saints through jennifer aniston thy son our lord who liveth and reigneth with thee and the holy spirit, one god now and forever amen. please be seated for the lessons. >> and now the first reading from the president's granddaughter, marsha lloyd bush.

>> a reading from lanentations. the steadfast love of the lord never cease, his mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness. the lord is my portion, says my seoul, therefore, i will hope in him. the lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. it is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the lord, for the lord will not cast off forever but though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love, for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men. the word of the lord. >> thanks be to god.

>> today's appointed psalm is psalm 23. the lord is my shepherd. i shall not want. he maketh me to lie down in green pastures. he leadth me beside the still waters. he restoreth my soul. he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. yea, though i will walk through the valley of the shadow of death i will fear no evil for thou art with me. thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. thou anointest my head with oil. my cup runneth over. surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and i will dwell in the house of the lord forever. >> the president's

granddaughters reading psalm 23 and now the first tribute from his best friend, political partner, former secretary of state james baker. my friends, we're here today in the house of the lord so say good-bye to a man of great faith and great integrity. a truly beautiful human being. and to honor his noble character, his life of service and the sweet memories he leaves for his friends, his family and

for our grateful nation, for more than 60 years george herbert walker bush has been my friend and he's been my role model. today as we entrust his soul to heaven, his name to history and his memory to our hearts, i must begin with an apology. i am about to do something you always hated and that your mother always told you not to do, brag about yourself. i will do this because it must be done and because as a lawyer, i see that thing beloved by all lawyers, a loophole. now, don't brag about yourself. let others point out your virtues, your good points.

well, today, mr. president, i am that other. with the special privilege and joy of sharing your good points. as we have heard and as we know, george bush was a charter member of the greatest generation, as we gather here to salute him, his incredible service to our nation and the world are already etched in the marble of time. after becoming the youngest naval aviator, he served in increasingly responsible positions on behalf of his country. congressman, ambassador to china and to the united nations, director of the cia and vice president. then as history will faithfully record, he became one of our nation's finest presidents and

beyond any doubt our nation's very best one-term president. for millions and millions across the globe, the world became a better place because george bush occupied the white house for four years. he was not considered a skilled speaker but his deeds were quite eloquent. and he demonstrated their eloquence by carving them into the hard granite of history. they expressed his moral character and they reflected his decency, his boundless kindness and consideration of others, his determination always to do the right thing and to always do that to the very best of his ability. they testify to a life nobly lived. he possessed the classic virtues

of our civilization and of his faith. the same virtues that express what is really best about this country. these same ideals were known to and they were shared by our founding fathers. george bush was temperate in thought, in word and in deed. he considered his choices and then he chose wisely. the berlin wall fell in november 1989, less than o year into his presidency. it was a remarkable triumph for american foreign policy as joyous east and west germans danced on the remains of that hated wall, george bush could have joined them metaphorically and claimed victory for the west, for america and, frankly, for himself, but he did not.

he knew better. he understood that humility toward and not humiliation of a fallen adversary was the very best path to peace and reconciliation and so he was able to unify germany as a member of the north atlantic treaty organization, notwithstanding the initial reservations of france, the united kingdom and the soviet union. thus, the cold war ended, not with a bang, but with the sound of rattle with a pulley over the kremlin on a cold night in december 1991 as the flag of the soviet union was lowered for the very last time. need we ask about george bush's courage? during world war ii he risked his life in defense of something

greater than himself. decades later when saddam hussain invaded kuwait in august of 1990 and began to brutalize kuwaitis george bush never wavered. this will not stand, he said, and he got the rest of the world to join him in reversing that aggression. yes, he had the courage of a waior, but when the time came for prudence, he always maintained the greater courage of a peacemaker. he ended the wars in central america. he signed two nuclear arms reduction treaties and he brought israel and all of its arab neighbors together face-to-face for the first time to talk peace. his deeds for his fellow man always spoke for him. give someone else a hand, he would say, and he did.

when a friend is hurting, show that you care, he would say, and he did. be kind to people, he would say and he was. to the parents of a young son who lost -- of a young son lost to cancer, he wrote, i hope you will live the rest of your lives with only happy memories of that wonderful son who is now safely tucked in god's loving arms around him. his wish for a kinder, gentler nation was not a cynical political slogan, it came honest and unguarded from his soul. after they left the white house, george and barbara bush continued to display their compassion for others. their dedication to the points of light, the barbara bush foundation for family literacy and countless other charities is a model for all former first

families, past, present and future. to these virtues we can add one more source of his character, his family. as a friend once put it, george bush believed that family is a source of both personal strength and the values one needs to face life. and, of course, history has shown that few families have accomplished as much as his has. barbara wrote the book on how to be a great first lady. his legacy lives on with his children, who have contributed so very much to making our nation great. and who knows what the future will bring for his grandchildren and their children? i've always been proud that george bush used to describe our relationship as one of big brother and little brother. he used to say that one of the

things he liked best about me was that i would always tell him what i thought even when i knew he didn't want to hear it. then we would have a spirited discussion about that issue. but he had a very effective way of letting me know when the discussion was over. he would look at me and he said, baker, if you're so smart, why am i president and you're not? he was a leader and he knew it. my hope is that in remembering the life of george herbert walker bush and in honoring his accomplishments, we will see that we are really praising what is best about our nation, the nation he dearly loved and whose values he embodied. there is more to say than time permits and anyway when measured

against the eloquence of george bush's character and life, our words are very inadequate. and so i conclude these remarks with his words, written some years ago to his old tennis buddy, we've known each other a long time, he wrote to me, we have shared joy and sadness and time has, indeed, gone swiftly by. now it races on even faster and that makes me treasure even more this line of william butler yates about where man's glory begins and ends, namely, with friends. my glory is i have you as such a friend. to which i reply, on behalf of his friends here today, across america and throughout the world, we rejoice, mr. president, that you are safely tucked in now and through

the ages with god's loving arms around you. because our glory, george, was to have had you as our president and as such a friend. >> echoes of george w. bush there. the president's secretary of state, best friend, james baker paying tribute. and now we will hear from his grandson george p. bush. good morning. today i stand before you as the oldest grandson of the man i simply knew as gampy.

he was the most gracious, most decent, most humble man that i will ever know. we are here to give thanks for his extraordinary life but i'd like to talk about some of the things that he was thankful for, the things that to him mattered most. my grandfather was thankful for his family. when he began running for president in 1988, my grandfather released a campaign book outlining his views for the future. the book opened with a letter to a grandson. it was addressed to me and recounted some of our recent experiences together in maine. pete, the letter read, i've been thinking about it a lot. the most fun was the big rock boat, climbing out on it, watching you playing on it. near the end of summer when the moon was full, the tides were high, there was that special day when it almost seemed like the boat was real. in those few words my grandfather said more about his

life than i could ever tell you this morning. here's a man gearing up for the role of a lifetime and yet his mind went back to his family. this is a book about policy issues and yet he still found time to write about an imaginary boat he built with his grandson. in a typical day he would wake up around 5:00 a.m. to review security briefings and grab his first coffee of the day when the coast was clear, all the grandkids would try our best to snag a spot on the bed and nestle up between him and ganny while they read the paper. we all grew up in awe of my grandfather, a larger than life figure who we would catch fly-fishing off the rocks of maine talking up where the bluefish were running. he would be the first to host intense horseshoe matchups among family, secret service or any willing head of state. while encouraging trash talk like power outage if you ar horseshoe was short or woodrow wilson if you're long and shoe hit the wooden backstop. his typical spread included

barbecue, taco, tamale, pork rinds with hot sauce with a healthy complement of blue bell ice cream and klondike bars, always the competitor he challenged us to the coveted first asleep award. in classic gampy fashion he'd write letters of encouragement to us all whether a hard semester of school, whether one of us and for the record not me drove his fidelity onto the rocks, or one of us definitely not me ended up in ganny's crosshairs. i knew too much. at the close of one summer after he left public service, he wrote an email to us all saying the only thing wrong with the last five months is none of you were here enough. next year promise you'll spend more time with us by the sea. as you know i've had to give up

fly-fishing off the rocks of maine but there are plenty of wonderful things to do. i think of you a lot. wonder how you're doing in school and in life. if you need me, i'm here for you, because i love you very much. in the psalms god makes us promise with long life i will satisfy him and show him my salvation. today we know that my gampy entrie enjoyed a long life and rejoining those whom he lost but now by grace has found again. my grandfather was thankful for his country. he was grateful to lead a country where people can go as far and fast as their dreams can take them where individuals working alone or in groups can help the condition of their fellow man on a voluntary basis. a bright hope for america he evoked so brilliantly when he spoke of a thousand points of life and spoke about the timeless creed of honor, duty,

the values that have sustained the republic for its 240 years but this wasn't something he just talked about, this is something he lived. having flown 58 combat missions in the pacific and having been shot down and rescued at sea he never saw his own heroism being greater than anyone else that has worn the uniform. i know this because i've experienced it personally. he was proud when walker joined the marine corps, when i joined the navy and prouder when we served overseas. our service never compared to his. yet, we could never convince him of that. in our times together our big, wonderful and competitive family saw the personal goodness that led to his recognized historical greatness. he left a simple yet profound legacy to his children, to his grandchildren and to this country. service. undoubtedly when the last words are written on him, they will certainly include this, that the fulfillment of a complete life cannot be achieved without service to others. you should know that my

grandfather was thankful for his god. he once told us god is good but his love has a cost, we must be good to one another. it was his faith, his love for others that fulfilled him, that drove him, that led him to a life of public service. here in houston at a prayer breakfast he once reflected on his time on the deck of the submarin finback which rescued him. to get some fresh air he went on the deck, stood the watch, looked out in the dark. he said the sky was clear, the stars were brilliant like a blizzard of fireflies in the night. there was a calm inner peace. halfway around the world in a war zone a calm inner peace. god's therapy. today after 94 years the heavy hand of time has claimed the life of my gamps, but in death as in life my grandfather has

won, for he has exchanged his earthly burdens for a heavenly home and is at peace. yes, george herbert walker bush is the most gracious, most decent, most humble man that i will ever know and it's the honor of a lifetime to share his name. god bless you, gampy until we meet again. maybe out on that rock boat we built together. >> touching tribute for gampy bush from the boy he called p, now texas land commissioner. and we will have more readings now from two more of the president's granddaughters, nancy ellis le blond sosa and georgia grace koch. the first letter of paul to the corps rintens. and i will show you a still more

excellent way. if i speak in the tongue of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, i am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. and if i have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if i have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, i am nothing. if i give away all my possessions and if i hand over my body so that i may boast, but do not have love, i gain nothing. love is patient, love is kind. love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. it does not insist on its own way. it is not irritable or resentful. it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. it bears all things, believes

all things, hopes all things, endures all things. love never ends. but as for privacies they will come to an end. as for tongues, they will cease. as for knowledge, it will come to an end. for we know only in part and we prophecy only in part. but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. when i was a child, i spoke like a child. i thought like a child. i reasoned like a child. when i became an adult i put an end to childish ways. for now we see in a mirror dimly but then we will see face-to-face. now i know only in part, then i will know fully, even as i have been fully known. and now faith, hope and love abide, these three, and the

greatest of these is love. the word of the lord. >> thanks be to god. a favorite hymn of the president's, "eternal strong to save". turn to page 7. we'll sing the first two verses before the gospel. ♪ ♪ eternal father strong to save whose arm does bind the restless wave ♪ ♪ who bids the mighty ocean deep

its own appointed limits keep ♪ ♪ o hear us when we cry to thee for those in peril on the sea ♪ ♪ o savior whose almighty word the winds and waves submissive heard ♪ ♪ who walked upon the foaming deep and calm amid the rage did sleep ♪ ♪ o hear us when we cry to thee

for those in peril on the sea ♪ the holy gospel of our lord jesus christ according to john. >> glory be to thee, o lord. >> martha said to jesus, lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. but even now i know that god will give you whatever you ask of him. jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. martha said to him, i know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. jesus said to her, i am the resurrection and the life. those who believe in me, even though though die, will live and everyone who lives and believes

in me will never die. do you believe this? she said to him, yes, lord, i believe that you are the messiah, the son of god, the one coming into the world. the gospel of the lord. >> praise be to thee, o christ. ♪ ♪ o holy spirit who did broad upon the waters dark and rude ♪ ♪ and bid their angry tumult

cease and give for wild confusion peace ♪ ♪ o hear us when we cry to thee for those in peril on the sea ♪ ♪ o trinity of love and power your children shield in danger's hour ♪ ♪ from rock and tempest, fire and foe protect them where-so-e'er they go ♪

♪ evermore shall rise to thee glad hymns of praise from land and sea ♪ bow your heads for a prayer. almighty god the source of all life may our eyes and our hearts this day give thanks for this remarkable life, may our eyes and our hearts turn to you as did the heart of this great man. in christ's name i pray, amen. >> amen. a few days before barbara bush's death, i was called to the bush home and the president asked me to pray with her. i went and knocked on her door

and barbara answered, hello, russ, i'm not checking out yet. we talked for a bit. i asked permission to anoint her head with oil and pray with her and we did, we prayed. i left and then she called me to come back in. bar, are you okay, i said. she said, yes. just tell him i adore him. today we are gathered to celebrate the life of a man that we all adored. at the beginning of a journey that began june 12th, 1924, george herbert walker bush was born into the cradle of a loving

family that held fast to the values of friendship and family and faith, of integrity, honesty and loyalty, of character, courage and service. now at the end of that journey that cradle that sustained him throughout his 94 years of life has released him into the loving arms of his heavenly father, the end depends on the beginning and this is a good ending, because from the very beginning, george bush was committed to a life not for himself, but for others. and so we gather today charged with three tasks, saying good-bye, giving our thanks and lifting up our lives to hope. bidding farewell is the hardest of these tasks because we must acknowledge that the world is not the same without this great man, the tectonic plates of our world have shifted.

and today's world we sometimes recoil at the complex emotions instead of shedding tears of grief that honor our loved ones, tears honor those we love, george bush was never afraid to shed tears and so today i bid you to follow his example. we also gather to give thanks for the actions of this incredible public servant who improved the lives of so many around the world, across the nation and in our great state of texas and our beloved city of houston. each of us gathered here today joined untold millions around the globe to mourn the death of one of history's greatest leaders. but we have lost more than a leader, he like his wife of over 70 year, barbara, had that unique ability to make you feel like he was your best friend and

you were his and he pulled it off with charm and humility and humor with few, if any, rivals. so, however you do it today, whether through quiet meditation or tearful remembrance or jubilant stories, give thanks that his life brushed up against yours. good-bye, thank you, but there is one more thing we come to do and that is to lift up our lives to hope. what i mean by that, well, president bush was a man of faith, a faith that sustained him in this life and now has brought him new life. the president and barbara bush were devoted and active members of this church, st. martin's for over 50 years. in a talk the president gave here in 1982, he spoke of his love for st. martin's, his memories of teaching sunday school and serving coffee and

worshiping here. this is what he said, i remember sitting in the back and how my pew wiggled and shook as our four boys and sometimes doro got the giggles and then he added, i don't want to hold it over the rest of you, but how many of you can say of the christmas pageant, my grandson was a shepherd in 1980 and his sister an angel both in the same year? as he was giving this talk, barbara spoke up and said, did it ever occur t you that they both made it because you had just been elected vice president? but there was a deeper purpose in his faith. this an open letter to clergy across the united states just before his inauguration, the press-ele pre president-elect bush wrote, worship is basic to my own life. our family has endeavored to uphold our faith by

participation in the life of our church. in an address two years into his presidency, he recalled president lincoln's response at the height. t of the civil war when asked if he thought the lord was on lincoln's side and lincoln responded my concern is not whether god is on our side but whether we are on god's side. make no mistake about it, george bush was on god's side. it's why together we carefully whose the lessons for this service which i hope you'll take home and read and reflect upon, our lessons that bespeak of the love of god and the comfort of god and the hope of life eternal given to us through his son, jesus christ. martin of tours is the patron saint of this parrish. he's best known for tearing his cloak in two to cover a barely dressed beggar and did so impulsively, instinctively

knowing that it was the right thing to do. only later was it revealed to him in a dream that his selfless act had clothed christ himself. now, those of us fortunate to worship with george and barbara bush here witnessed a similar selflessness as we worshipped together, they never made a show or a fuss of arriving worshiping or leaving. they loved to spend time with the members here and had a favorite spot right over there but if they arrived and someone had beat them to it, they never created a problem, in fact, particularly crowded days, christmas even easter, they often relinquished their seats to mother overloaded with children or a son coming with his elderly parents. one particularly cold day as the president came in the back, he was met by an usher who didn't have on an overcoat, aren't you cold, the president asked? and the young man said, i'm

fine. but before he could finish his sentence, the president whipped off his own coat and placed it around the gent's shoulders and he walked in to worship with a smile and without another word. george bush loved our lord and knew our lord loved him. and it was that connection that birthed in the 41st president a desire to serve. a few years ago the president and i discussed his deteriorating health, at the time he didn't know how that struggle would end and he put a question to me about as simply as anybody could. he said, well, what do you think heaven is like? it was a confidenttatement that bespoke of a resolute faith. he didn't want to know if there was a heaven or whether he would be there when the end came, instead he just wanted to know what it was like. he was ready for heaven and

heaven was ready for him. my guess is that on december 30th when the president arrived in heaven that barbara was standing there with her hands on her hips staying, what took you so long? but then a big old texas-sized hug from his wife and daughter with the words, we adore you. his very first act after being sworn into office as the 41st president was to lead our nation in prayer and as the end depends on the beginning and as we say our good-byes, i want to invite you to pray in honor and

thanksgiving, in celebration of this man that we know and loved, this man we adore. would you bow your heads, may his prayer, this was his prayer on the day of his inauguration, his first act as president. heavenly father, we bow our heads and thank you for your love. accept our thanks for the peace that yields this day and the shared faith that makes its continuance likely. make us strong to do your work willing to heed and hear your will and write on our hearts these words, use power to help people for we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the

world, nor name, there is but one just use of power, and it is to serve people. help us remember, lord. amen. >> "amazing grace" will now be sung by the oak ridge boys. >> we're here, sir. we told you we would be. and it's an honor. we first sang for him in october of 1983 on the lawn of the white house when he was vice president and he said, fellas, he always

called us fellas, would you sing me a few songs? i'm a big fan. for decades we have sang for him. and this is, again, a real honor to be here. what a lot may not know he fancied himself to be a good bass singer. he was not. we'll sing for our president. ♪ amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me ♪ ♪ i once was lost

but now i'm found ♪ ♪ was blind but now i see ♪ ♪ 'twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved ♪ ♪ how precious did that grace appear the hour i first believed ♪ ♪ when we've been there 10,000

years bright shining as the sun ♪ ♪ we've no less days to sing god's praise than when we'd first begun ♪ [ applause ] the president's tradition in the epistle of the church we stand to say things we believe so in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection of life eternal i invite you to turn to

page 4 and together let us recite "the apostles' creed." i believe in god, the father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, in jesus christ his only son our lord, who was conceived by the holy ghost, born of the virgin mary, suffered under pontius pilot, was crucified, dead and buried. he descended into hell, the third day he rose again from the dead. he ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of god the father almighty. from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. i believe in the holy ghost, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting, amen. >> please be seated.