The Lovely, Lady Bird Johnson

As the flowers of this Texas spring continue to amaze me, the strolls and drives through Austin and it's outlying countryside are a beautiful sight to behold. And as we turn through pages of history and comb through lines mentioning times and places that belong to the ages - it is only a joy to look over those pages that grace the name, Lady Bird. A name that needs no introduction, a name that resembles all the grace, goodness and dignity that anyone would love to borrow.


A young girl in fields of East Texas wildflowers, a girl who lost her mother all too soon. A girl that knew not the mark she would leave on this great land. Finding solace in the wildflowers that would one day be an emblem of hers, among many. A girl who would sit at tables with men and women who forged through issues and times that would shape the country that we live in today. A modest lady who graced us with her presence on this planet, and as the years pass and her legacy grows, we see that mark she left all around us. In the swaying flowers on the roadways, at the Wildflower Center, and in the fields all across this state we hear them whisper - Lady Bird. A beauty that she was not altogether responsible for, but among all of her life, as valuable as her time must have been, she felt an important responsibility toward.

From Washington to Los Angeles, from New York to Austin, in London or in Paris, her name will brings smiles. A lady whose times involved assassinations, controversial wars, and the extreme battle for civil rights in this country. After all of this, she is still a beacon of light, she is the wildflower. Her ability to bloom among times of upheaval and adversity, and to bloom in times peace and prosperity - lends itself to the legacy that is hers. A legacy that involves almost a hundred years of contributions to something that was larger. A picture that she would paint that has become a sanctuary for all those who pass it by. Lady Bird…how did you do it? How could you be a steward of so much?

When spring drifts into summer, and the seasons change as this world goes around, we will be reminded everyday of a lady who cared enough to share. With each phase of the year I am sure that we will see her. While the swans glide across Lady Bird Lake, as the Cypress rises to beauty out of her waters, and the joggers, bikers, dogs, and passersby glide along the lakeside too - each day they too will know her name. A name given by a Nanny, "Pretty as a Lady Bird," we thank you…because we needed you!