Godspeed, Jimmy

I was very sad to hear the news.

Jimmy Carter, former president of the USA, was moved to Hospice care. His health had deteriorated, and at 98, he opted to forgo additional medical care and stay home in comfort for his final days. We have had family members and loved ones who went into Hospice care, and some hung around for months, while others, not as long. Hospice care was wonderful, helping those people to be comfortable, and helping their families to be comforted. I’m hopeful that his family will be at peace.

Jimmy Carter’s failures and successes have been well documented. I know that there are many fans and many people who deride him. You can have your own opinion, but since it’s my blog post, I’m gonna give you mine. I mean no disrespect when I refer to him as Jimmy in this article. It just seems like the right thing to call him.

I admire Jimmy Carter so, so much.

It’s not because of his childhood on the family peanut farm. Or because of his determination to attend school at the US Naval Academy. Or because of his career on Navy nuclear submarines, cut short when he had to return to the family farm after his father’s death. It’s not because of his political career as governor of Georgia then President of the United States. It’s not because he received a Nobel Peace Prize. None of that is why I admire him.

I contend that Jimmy Carter is the best EX-President we have ever had. His selflessness is evident as he has continued to work with many organizations that are highlighted through his foundation, The Carter Center. Working internationally on Health initiatives like eradicating Guinea Worm or River Blindness, focusing on disease prevention and mental health issues, working on programs to advance Human Rights, Conflict Resolution around the globe, and dedicating his life to promoting Peace. Time after time, year after year, he traveled the globe or stayed close to home, rolled up his sleeves and worked side-by-side with people from all walks of life. Geez, the man continued his and Rosalynn’s 30+ year service at Habitat for Humanity by sweating alongside other volunteers, hammering nails and carrying lumber, when he was 95 years old. Still building houses. That was back in 2019. 

Here’s a quote from CNN:

“It’s a testament to his remarkable legacy of service and faith in his post-presidency. It’s a story of service, stamina and love – an American story.”

There may be many everyday people who give of themselves and serve others. It's part of their DNA. But, there are only a handful of well-known people, IMHO, who have dedicated themselves to helping humanity by giving it their all. Mother Teresa is in that category. And, Jimmy Carter.

A few years ago, I decided that I really wanted to go to see Jimmy Carter. So, the plan was hatched. After researching the opportunities, I decided that the best way to see Jimmy was at his church in Plains, Georgia. He was regularly scheduled, several times a month, to teach a Sunday School class at Maranatha Baptist Church, where he had attended church his entire life.  Plains, Georgia is a tiny rural town out in the middle of nowhere. It is about a 3.5 hour drive from our city.  So, I convinced my husband Rob that this was very important. As they say, when I get an idea, get on board or get out of the way.

In the spring of 2019, we planned our trip to Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia.

Once we arrived in this area of South Georgia, it was apparent that the whole community of Plains was very supportive of the Carter family. Townspeople were very gracious to travelers, and they went out of their way to make people feel welcome. People who had traveled far and wide to hear the words and wisdom of the former president.

We booked a room at a lovely Bed and Breakfast on Saturday night. We were prepared to follow the instructions we had received regarding the early morning church service. On Sunday morning, our B&B provided us with a small cooler of breakfast-to-go, and we drove several miles to the church, arriving, as instructed, before 5:00AM. As we pulled into the parking lot, we were given a numbered card (order of arrival). The parking lot, a large pecan orchard, was nearly full. Shoulda gotten there earlier. Over the next several hours, we ate our picnic breakfast, napped in the car, mingled with other travelers, and bided our time.  Eventually, things started happening.

Church volunteers told us to bring our number cards with us as we lined up in numerical order outside of the church building. We watched the Secret Service agents lead dogs up and down the line and through the church doors into the building. The dogs were all business. As were the agents. We were told that when the time came to enter the church building, we would not be allowed to re-enter. If we had to go outside, we would have to stay outside. The church volunteer boss lady was a retired schoolteacher. She was just as formidable as the Secret Service agents. We "yes ma’am-ed" a lot.

As we stood in line, waiting to enter, we began to talk to people around us. There were all kinds of people who had gathered to listen to what Jimmy Carter had to say. There were groups of young friends, families, teenagers, older couples, children, and small groups of church friends who had ridden down on church buses. And right behind us in line was a young soldier who had gotten up at 3AM to drive to Plains to hear Jimmy. The soldier had recently been assigned to Fort Benning in Georgia, and he could not understand why none of the other soldiers wanted to wake up early and join him on the pilgrimage to see this iconic man of faith.

When the doors of the church finally opened, people were admitted in numerical order. Just before it was our turn to enter, I was heartbroken to hear that the sanctuary seating was full, and people would now be seated in the 1^st Overflow Room. It was what it was, and I accepted the fact that being rerouted to the 1^st Overflow Room, we might not get the genuine experience of seeing Jimmy. But, it would be better than nothing.

Turns out it was WAY better than nothing.

This old rural Baptist church was very small. The “big” sanctuary of the church, where regular church services and Jimmy Carter's Sunday School were held, seated about 300 people. The people sitting on the back rows of the church would definitely be able to see the speaker who stood on stage. Even so,  they would not be considered close to the speaker. The speaker would be way up there on the stage. As ushers led us into the 1^st Overflow Room (actually the small fellowship hall), we saw a much cozier scene. There were about 6 rows of chairs, room for probably about 60 or so people. We were sitting on the 3^rd row. Soon, the room filled up and the remaining people were sent to the 2^nd Overflow Room, further down the hall. In all, over 400 people were on hand for the Sunday School message.

OK, I’ve set the scene, now let me get to the good part.

Before long, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter came into the 1^st Overflow Room and started to chat with us. He looked down the rows of chairs and spoke to every person, asking where they were from. Soon, he would go into the sanctuary and do the same thing, which we watched on a live feed giant TV screen. As Jimmy interviewed all of the people, we were able to discover that we were joined by people from most of the 50 states, as well as, England, France, Japan, Germany, Poland, Korea, the Philippines, Canada, and many other countries. All come to hear this national international treasure.

Jimmy spoke with the 1^st Overflow Room crowd in his easy-going, folksy style for about 15 minutes. He told jokes, talked about current issues, political and otherwise, gave us a preview of what his Sunday School lesson would be about, and thanked us profusely for coming. It was a huge feel-good experience. Jimmy was standing right in front of us, right with us. We were much closer than we would have been in any seat in the main sanctuary. We were up close and personal. When Jimmy left our room to meet the other travelers, we, the 1^st Overflow Room group, began to bond together. Our proudest moment was when Jimmy Carter’s niece came into the room to announce that there was one more seat available in the sanctuary, right up on the front row, if there was a solo traveler who wanted to take it. Everyone immediately nominated “our” soldier, and we all patted him on the back as he left our room to take the prized seat. Then, we settled in to watch the live-feed of Jimmy’s Sunday School lesson on the big screen.

As is usually the case, I can’t remember all the details of the lesson that Jimmy taught. He read a Bible verse about the apostle Paul. He spoke passionately about kindness, acceptance, tolerance, faith, responsibility, duty, and peace. He illustrated the ways that he relied on his Christian faith as he made decisions throughout his life. Not tooting his own horn. Putting his faith into action. The one statement that I remember, although I’m paraphrasing here, was when he said that we should treat everyone with dignity, because all people, no matter their race, religion, nationality, affiliations, political leanings, or anything else….all they wanted was to be heard.  They all deserved that. Not to be ignored, dismissed, shunned, overlooked, made fun of, or silenced. To be heard. I thought that was very powerful. And very profound.

After Jimmy finished delivering his inspiring message, we were invited to remain for the rest of the church service. And everyone did. I’m sorry to say that the message of the proper sermon, which was delivered by a guest minister, was less open, less inclusive. There were fire and brimstone references, and some judgmental nuances. It wasn’t my cup of tea. But, it was fine. I suppose the guest minister needed to be heard, too.

After the final "Amens", we lined up so that we could meet and greet Jimmy and Rosalynn. There were strict rules, but we followed them all, said hello, snapped our picture, spoke pleasantly to the Secret Service agents, and left.

Then, we went to town for a big ole Southern Fried Chicken Sunday lunch where we spoke to all the other travelers in the restaurant, discussing our adventure. There was admiration and respect abounding. We all felt so lucky to have spent time with such an impressive but humble man. We noted that his devotion to his wife Rosalynn perfectly demonstrated a successful life partnership.   We agreed that he was most interested in spreading The Word and his love of God; giving people nuggets of wisdom and things to think about; and in supporting the townspeople of Plains.  He was less interested in being a celebrity. But, he was willing to use his fame to accomplish those aforementioned goals.

Rob and I were so thankful that we had the opportunity to meet Jimmy Carter and hear his message. It was one of the most inspirational things I have ever done.  I consider him a model of Christian faith and a model of servant leadership He is one of the people that I admire most.

Here are two quotes attributed to Jimmy Carter:

We can chose to alleviate suffering. We can chose to work together. We can make these changes—and we must.

I have one life and one chance to make it count for something. My faith demands that I do whatever I can , wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference.

Godspeed, Jimmy. You have been a good and faithful servant. We send you prayers and good wishes and many thanks.

And, we hear you.