Guiding lights
for one another...
“What are the things that you can’t see that are important? I would say justice, truth, humility, service, compassion, love…You can’t see any of those, but they’re the guiding lights of a life.” ~ Pres. Jimmy Carter
President Jimmy Carter was one of my heroes and his legacy, and that of his wife of seventy-seven years, Rosalynn Carter, are woven together. I wrote the following essay back in December of 2023, in honor of Mrs. Carter’s passing.
I would like to share it once again. As a nation, we are now grieving the loss of her husband, a wonderful leader and humanitarian but we are also grieving the loss of a fellow human being, whose legacy can continue on and must…in each of us…
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 their legacy through our own lives…trying to emulate what they did…spreading love and kindness by doing good works and making a difference, one day and one moment at a time…
What do you think?
My support comes from my subscribers and I really appreciate it. If you enjoy what the Kindness Boomerang newsletter provides, please feel free to share this link on your social media. Subscriptions can be either free or paid. It’s a simple process of sharing your email address. Thanks for your support!
For information about why I started this newsletter, please go to the about section.
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…
Compassion comes with the territory for hospital nurses, but one raised the bar beyond the call of duty while caring for a 14-year-old mom and her triplets. Steve Hartman goes "On the Road" for the story.
#believe #smilevideos #spreadkindnessandlove
Interesting thoughts…
22 Manifesto Rules for the Year.
1. Stare fear in the face. So often fear stops us. Instead live fearless - knowing when to stop and when to move and when to be brave.
2. Invest in your friends. Good friends listen and show up. Do the same. Friendship is give and take and give and take. Friends are the ultimate gift.
3. No excuses. You must take care of yourself: heart, body and soul. There is no excuse for forgetting you. Your family needs you to love you with the same tenacity that you love them.
4. Guilt doesn't need to dictate choices. Don't let guilt stop you from taking care of yourself. Guilt keeps one stuck.
5. Read real books again. Watch a mini-series. Start jogging. Do something that is not work, not chores, but simply that makes you happy.
6. Love your body. Your aging body. Yes, that. And stop lamenting the wrinkles, but embrace them as another year lived.
7. Don't short-change yourself. You are amazing.
8. Listen more, judge less. Comparison is the death of contentment. Instead of judging, be happy for others.
9. Slow down. Hold hands more. Say "yes" to one more book. Let them get the gum in the check out line. Just be present.
10. Create margin in your life. That space in-between the busy and the crazy where you can just breathe again.
11. Don't be afraid of "no" and trying. The worst that can happen is that you brush off and try again.
12. Be proud of yourself. Like really nitty gritty proud - of all the showing up and trying and giving and little things you do that matter so greatly.
13. Give to others. Maybe it's not money or time, but sometimes it can be grace extended.
14. Be straightforward with your words.
15. Love well. Love without fear. Love unconditionally.
16. Forgive. This. Over and over. Grudges destroy, forgiving brings freedom.
17. Fall seven times, stand up eight. Don't lament the falling - celebrate the standing.
18. Learn from your experiences and mistakes. They don’t need to be defined. Sometimes those spaces of experience make us real and in the real spaces we forge connections.
19. Take risks. The biggest risk for me in life is the risk of not trying.
20. Mindset, mindset, mindset. What one thinks truly is what one believes, what one becomes.
21. Be adaptable. Life can change in an instant.
22. Love others deeply. For who they are, for their courage, for their story. Kindness and love are priceless.
Begin. 🙌
~Rachel
#findingjoy
PS: I originally wrote these at the end of 2019 and have been adding on with new lessons learned.
original words by Rachel Marie Martin of Finding Joy
What I am reading…
This week I started reading Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson.
Here is the Amazon summary: “Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinkmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.
Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.”
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…
A simple grounding exercise for managing anxiety and triggering the parasympathetic response. This simple activity can help you feel calm by giving you a practical way to use your five senses to remind your brain that you are actually safe.
Grounding skills are more effective than coping skills for anxiety because they provide a longer-lasting and more sustainable way to resolve anxiety. Instead of just avoiding your anxiety, you will actually be re-training your nervous system to be calm.
Comedy Lift…
I love to share funny cartoons or memes with friends and family. Who doesn’t need to smile? Here’s this week’s Comedy Lift…
Music Moments
Music inspires me in many ways. Here's George Harrison singing My Sweet Lord….Enjoy!
Quote of the week
Until next week. Please remember…Begin and end each day with a grateful heart…and always, always be kind….