Good works

a philosophy of the spirit...

Dec 10, 2023

“Do what you can to show you care about other people, and you will make our world a better place” ~ Rosalynn Carter

man and woman holding hands on street — Photo by Rémi Walle on Unsplash

A few weeks ago I found myself, as did millions of other Americans, watching the coverage of the funeral of former first lady Rosalynn Carter.

Throughout my life, as famous people pass away, I’ve felt a sense of sadness, which is probably typical of most people. And then there are a handful of famous people who I feel a special bond with and whose passing affected me more personally.

Rosalynn Carter was one of those people.

I was a child when Jimmy Carter was president and I remember going to the Central Wisconsin airport with my parents in 1979 to see Air Force One land and catch a glimpse of him. It was an exciting experience and my mother even saved the pictures we took and a copy of the local newspaper that chronicled the event.

There was something about the Carters that I could relate to and I think many others felt also.

Maybe it was the fact that I was around the same age as Amy Carter and that her parents were much older, like mine.

Maybe it was that the Carters seemed like regular people and they were farmers, though we didn’t produce peanuts but instead milked dairy cows.

Maybe it was the devotion that the Carters had with each other and with their family.

Whatever the reason, there has always been a connection for me with them…

My parents were from the same generation as the Carters…a part of the “greatest generation”, that grew up during the Great Depression and fought in World War II. The generation that held the belief that we all could, and should, work together to support one another. The 1930’s and 40’s were a time where as a nation, we needed to come together for a common cause…to end the spread of authoritarianism and to work together to rebuild our nation after the worst economic disaster it had ever faced…

The Carters were also a prime example of what the combination of faith and good works embodied. Their charity work and compassion was an inspiration for all ages.

Whatever you thought of the Carter presidency, I am not going to spend time in this essay analyzing that…It is open to the opinions of anyone, including historians. He was not a perfect politician but I think most people could agree that the 40+ years since he left office were among the most successful diplomatic and charitable works of any former president in modern history.

And Rosalynn Carter was his partner through all of that.

She was unafraid to speak up for the underprivileged - those with mental illness, those suffering in poverty, those afflicted with treatable diseases but unfortunate enough to live in third world countries…She was brave and I admired that.

She had a faith in God and not only believed in Him but she lived out those beliefs through her actions.

And when you watched her funeral, you saw all of the love that surrounded her. The family that supported each other… the children and grandchildren who spoke lovingly about the person they knew and the many lessons she taught all of them…all of us… by just being her authentic self…

Living a life that can be an inspiration to others is the key to living a full, good life…

May we all continue her legacy through our own lives…trying to emulate what she did…spreading love and kindness by doing good works and making a difference, one day and one moment at a time…

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Tranquil Moments…

I asked my niece, Jennifer Malphy, if she could share some of her nature photos with my newsletter audience. Each week I will feature a new photo. Here is this week’s:

This week’s Smile Video

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The War Against “Neglected Diseases”...

Jimmy Carter took great pride in pointing out that the United States didn't start any new wars during his term as president. But after he left office he launched a war against "neglected" diseases — diseases in far-off lands that most Americans will never suffer from and may not have even heard of. Diseases like lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, river blindness, schistosomiasis ... and a nasty little bug called Guinea worm disease…

NPR explores this fascinating story…

Mind/Body Connections

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