Jenna Bush Hager says Father George W. still sends her a Bible verse EVERY morning
Jenna Bush Hager has revealed that her father, former President George W. Bush, texts her Bible verses every morning — a tradition that started when her twin sister, Barbara, went through a “bad breakup.”
The Today host, 41, spoke about faith with Savannah Guthrie, 51, and Hoda Kotb, 58, on Thursday morning’s show when they opened about her father’s sweet daily ritual.
“I actually wake up every morning to a text from my dad that is another bible verse. I think I forwarded them to both of you,” she told her co-hosts.
Bush Hager admitted that she was not initially in the texting chain, but later evolved to include her.
Jenna Bush Hager, 41, opened up about a heartwarming family tradition started by her father, former President George W. Bush, as she spoke about faith on the Today show Thursday
The Today host (pictured on the show with her dad) shared that her dad texts her and her twin sister, Barbara Bush, every morning with Bible verses
“It started when my sister had a bad breakup and my dad started texting her every morning,” she explained. “It was something very small, but something very stable that she would look like [forward] Unpleasant.’
Barbara married her husband, Craig Coyne, in October 2018, and together they have a one-year-old daughter, Cora Georgia, named after her maternal grandfather.
Kotb agreed that an inspiring text from a loved one can sometimes make all the difference in a difficult time.
The mother-of-two recently missed two weeks of work while her three-year-old daughter, Haley, suffered a health problem at the hospital, where she spent several days in the intensive care unit.
“Life is about timing,” Kotb told her fellow players. “You all sent me something full of faith and meaning at a time when I needed it most.”
Speaking to DailyMail.com last week, Bush told Hager and Guthrie about their close relationship with Kotb and her absence from the show.
“It started when my sister had a bad breakup, and my dad just started texting her every morning,” Bush Hager explains.
Bush Hager admitted that she was not initially in the texting chain, but later evolved to include her
‘I know how much I love her; I knew it every day,” Bush Hager said. ‘But when someone is unexpectedly not working for a while, you realize how important that person is to you
“And I have three little cuties just like her, so my heart completely sympathizes with her. Hoda taking time off shows how lucky we are to work in a place where we can take that time off. I’m also so glad she heard how loved she is.’
Guthrie shared similar sentiments about how they came together to support their friend, saying, “As a team, we all lift each other up and that’s how we should be.
“We work these crazy hours that can bring a lot of stress and also a lot of fun. We have a special bond and it shows in times like these,” she added.
“I love our show and NBC because there’s never a doubt about being free from work for family. It’s always been, “How can we support you? Just take all the time you need.”
The Today stars often share parenting advice with each other, and later, on the fourth hour of Thursday’s show, Bush Hager and Kotb discussed how they comfort their daughters when they feel left out.
Bush Hager noted that she forwarded the bible verses to her costars Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie, who share her faith
Bush Hager later shared how her middle child, Poppy, recently felt left out after catching her watching a movie with her oldest daughter, Mila. She and her husband, Henry Hager, also have a son, Hal
Bush Hager explained that her middle child, Poppy, seven, recently got upset after catching her watching the Netflix movie Enola Holmes with her oldest daughter, Mila, nine.
The mother, who also has a three-year-old son, Hal, with her husband, Henry Hager, explained that she didn’t let Poppy watch the PG-13 movie because it was “a little inappropriate” for her.
“Poppy ran in and said, ‘Why would you do this? Why is she allowed to look at it?’ And her heart was broken and I didn’t know what to do,” she recalls.
When Bush Hager gave in and told Poppy she could watch the movie with them, Mila got upset and said, “No, Mom! It’s PG-13 and I wasn’t allowed to do that in first grade!’
She eventually turned off the TV, which angered Mila, and lay down with Poppy to comfort her as she remembered what it was like to feel left out.
“I said, ‘Poppy, I know that hurts your feelings.’ And she just said, “I wish I was older. Why did I have to be the little sister? Why can’t I ever get the love? Why can’t I ever be seen?” the former first daughter shared.
Kotb shared that she empathized with Bush Hager’s plight as a mother, saying her eldest daughter, Haley, felt less seen while caring for her youngest, Hope, who was recently hospitalized.
Kotb missed two weeks of work while Haley spent several days in ICU with a health issue. “All the focus is on Hope, and Haley also wonders, like, ‘I’m here,'” she explained
Bush Hager was heartbroken that she made her “precious” daughter Poppy “feel like she wasn’t enough.”
“I just wonder, how do moms do it all? How do they give everyone the attention they need?’ she asked her costar, who could relate to the feeling of inadequacy as a mother.
Kotb explained that her six-year-old daughter, Haley, hasn’t felt this seen since she was born busy caring for her younger sister, who is “not feeling well.”
“All the focus is on Hope, and Haley also wonders, like, ‘I’m here. Here I am. See me. I need someone to carry me. Do what you’re doing for Hope, you know? ” I feel like there’s a lot of it,” she said.
Kotb added that there have been times in her own life when she didn’t feel like anyone was paying attention to her, but she believes they made her stronger.
“It’s weird,” she said, “but I feel like that’s what gave me most of my resilience in life. You didn’t expect to always be seen and heard.’
.