Last week, on January 12, I received a voicemail from a very good friend who was watching the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter while on her exercise bike.
Speaking extemporaneously about how it impacted her, she left a powerful and spontaneous message about the impact of the former president, his legacy, what kind of a leader he was, and the example he set for the nation during and after he was in office.
“I'm watching the funeral of Jimmy Carter, and I'm so moved. It was a celebration of a man who represented the true principles of our democracy,” she said.
Here she said, was a great man, a true leader who exemplified what it means to both love and run the country and also love and nurture his family and to actually live the Christian values he espoused.
“These eulogies are so powerful. They’re not talking about a single specific thing he did politically, but what he did as a human being and changing the world and providing us with a foundation for and examples of how we should live our lives,” she added.
There was no need to compare the late President Carter with any other presidents she said. His actions and the way he lived his life stood on their own merits. No need to mention his fidelity to his wife, his family and his faith because those things formed the foundation of his character.
“He has real character and holds every value that I believe. His gift to us were those values and I think the reason this was such an amazing celebration of his life is because those are the values that all of us want to live. What a great man he was to bring us back to those principles by how he lived his life,” she said.
She’s not wrong. Jimmy Carter walked the walk, a rare politician who had so much positive influence after he left office, a politician plagued by nary a scandal, a good man who loved his wife, his family, his fellow man and his country.
Last week’s celebration of his life was such a joyful affirmation of the good that love and devotion and kindness and dedication can bring.
Rest in peace.
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