In a time when the words “Christian values” are often wielded as weapons by those who seem unfamiliar with their essence, your life remains a testament to what they truly mean: love, humility, service, and unyielding moral courage.
As the 39th President of the United States, you brought a quiet dignity to the Oval Office, pursuing peace where others stoked conflict. Your leadership in brokering the Camp David Accords showed the world that diplomacy, grounded in faith and principle, could triumph over cynicism and division. And while history has recognized your presidency more kindly with each passing year, it is your post-presidency that stands as the gold standard of what an ex-president can and should be.
From eradicating diseases to building homes for those in need, your work with the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity has been an unparalleled legacy of compassion. You didn’t retreat to a gilded life of grift and spectacle but chose instead to labor humbly, embodying your spiritual call to serve “the least of these.”
In an era defined by loud self-aggrandizement and moral bankruptcy—where some falsely claim your faith while trampling its core tenets—you are proof that decency is not weakness and that true greatness lies in the quiet, steadfast work of lifting others up.
Thank you, President Carter, for showing us what goodness looks like.
So true… what a wonderful piece, Greg. I met him on his first SF swing of the campaign in a packed SF Hilton Ballroom… because of who i was seated with he came to each of us 10 in all—- he stopped to ask me 5questions listening carefully… 2 mos later i attended a fundraiser in someone’s home in Pac Hts…. When he came in and as he worked the room he smiled greeted me warmly and asked me how the project id told him about at the Hilton was going… what a prodigious memory
Was he too good to be President? That says more about us than it does about him.
Jimmy Carter Dies at 100
••••
An Open Letter to President Jimmy Carter
Dear President Carter,
In a time when the words “Christian values” are often wielded as weapons by those who seem unfamiliar with their essence, your life remains a testament to what they truly mean: love, humility, service, and unyielding moral courage.
As the 39th President of the United States, you brought a quiet dignity to the Oval Office, pursuing peace where others stoked conflict. Your leadership in brokering the Camp David Accords showed the world that diplomacy, grounded in faith and principle, could triumph over cynicism and division. And while history has recognized your presidency more kindly with each passing year, it is your post-presidency that stands as the gold standard of what an ex-president can and should be.
From eradicating diseases to building homes for those in need, your work with the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity has been an unparalleled legacy of compassion. You didn’t retreat to a gilded life of grift and spectacle but chose instead to labor humbly, embodying your spiritual call to serve “the least of these.”
In an era defined by loud self-aggrandizement and moral bankruptcy—where some falsely claim your faith while trampling its core tenets—you are proof that decency is not weakness and that true greatness lies in the quiet, steadfast work of lifting others up.
Thank you, President Carter, for showing us what goodness looks like.
Rest in Peace.
Sincerely, A Grateful Admirer
https://substack.com/@patricemersault?utm_source=user-menu
So true… what a wonderful piece, Greg. I met him on his first SF swing of the campaign in a packed SF Hilton Ballroom… because of who i was seated with he came to each of us 10 in all—- he stopped to ask me 5questions listening carefully… 2 mos later i attended a fundraiser in someone’s home in Pac Hts…. When he came in and as he worked the room he smiled greeted me warmly and asked me how the project id told him about at the Hilton was going… what a prodigious memory