By now, you’ve seen the image.

President George W. Bush, hugging a little boy.

The image is making the rounds on social media, forwarded, tweeted and shared by conservatives.

To say it’s a compelling image is a gross understatement.

President Bush has been on a week long trip to Africa. Not for photo ops but to work. He’s been in Zambia helping to restore a clinic as part of the Pink Ribbon/Red Ribbon Project, getting dirty and covered with paint.

The clinic serves Zambian women being treated for cervical cancer.

The press won’t leave him alone though I rather believe he wishes they would. He’d get more work done if they did but, he’s the former President and wherever he goes, cameras and microphones will follow.

Zambia’s First Lady, Christine Kaseba stated, “It was really amazing seeing a former president getting involved in physical work for the love of saving women’s lives. It made me feel proud to be a Zambian woman, knowing that Americans are getting down to do dirty and laborious work like paint, not minding the dust, the surroundings but focusing on helping the Zambian women.”

The First Lady said that President Bush’s, “project has the capacity of not only changing the face of cervical cancer in Zambia but in Africa as a whole.”

That is where President Bush was and THAT is what he was doing, on our nation’s 236^th birthday. Celebrating OUR freedoms and prosperity by trying to help others.

The date didn’t really matter.

It was the work he cared about.

After finishing his work as a laborer, after setting his paint roller aside, he spent some time visiting and though, as always, the camera’s followed him, he wasn’t interested in the photo op.

He was interested in the people and their stories.

Eventually, that’s what led the President, half a world away from the fireworks, parades and backyard BBQ’s and 3 years removed from office, to Lusaka Zambia.

Lusaka is where one will find the Kasisi Children’s Home where more than 200 orphans, from infants to their early teens and 20’s live.

President Bush has a great many things these kids don’t and he knows it.

That, apparently, is when one little boy, wearing a pink shirt, with tears in his eyes, approached the man sitting on the orange bench.

One doubts he had any idea from where the man came. One doubt’s he had any idea why he was there or why people were taking pictures. One easily doubts he even knew who the man was, his name or the position he held.

To him, it didn’t matter.

One rather doubts it mattered to Mr. Bush either.

Only one thing mattered to that little boy. He was alone and he wanted a hug.

And if you don’t think that’s all that mattered to Mr. Bush, at that moment, you would be wrong.

In that moment, there was nothing else, no cameras, no reporters, no trappings of office.

No words.

Just a man with everything and a little boy with nothing.

That’s when he gave him all that he wanted.

He hugged that little boy. He hugged him. Hugged him hard. Hugged him with his arms.

He hugged him with his heart.

By now, you’ve seen the image.

President George W. Bush, hugging a little boy.

In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t all that much, really.

In the moment, it was…Everything.

For more on the Pink Ribbon/Red Ribbon Project and to find out how you can help, please click here.