The snow that was dumped on my corner of NE Texas is slowly going away, and the snow family my neighbors made in their front yard are melting. Brought to mind the Wicked Witch of the West and her famous line, “I’m melting.” Good riddance to her, but I will miss seeing the snow people across the street.
On Sunday, I listened to an episode of Fresh Air that was another tribute to Jimmy Carter. The entire episode was comprised of segments of interviews that Terry Gross had done with Jimmy Carter starting in 1995, then moving ahead in time to 2001 and 2005.
They discussed his poetry and he read several specific poems requested by Terry. They were wonderful, and I shamefully admit that I wasn’t aware that he was a poet. I’m not sure why. Perhaps because any news about him post-presidency that caught my attention was his work through the Carter Center as well as Habitat for Humanity. Two very important efforts that exemplified his life as a man of faith and a man of service.
In the 2001 interview Carter shared his thoughts about 9/11 and how his thoughts the coming Christmas season wouldn’t be about being merry so much as being aware of the need for peace and comfort for a nation reeling after the attacks. During that conversation, Carter also reaffirmed his belief that separation of church and state is vital for our democracy. It was refreshing to hear him talk about how he, as a born-again Christian, navigated the murky waters of abortion rights, as well as his efforts to abolish the death penalty. He took what was considered libertarian stances on abortion and the Equal Rights Amendment, refusing to align his personal Christian convictions with legal issues regarding both. That refusal turned many conservative Christian voters away, which is one of the main reasons he lost the bid for a second term in office.
As devastating as that was on a political level, Carter didn’t sway from his conviction that Thomas Jefferson was right when he championed religious freedom and a strict wall between church and state. Jefferson believed that having a close tie between leaders of government and leaders of churches had the potential to create a dangerous aristocracy. More about this aspect of Carter’s legacy can be found in this article, Jimmy Carter’s Most Perplexing Legacy.
The final interview on the program yesterday was with Mr. Carter and his daughter, Amy, about the book they collaborated on, The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer. He wrote the story and she did the illustrations. One of the things I noticed when I really listened to every word is that they both had a hesitancy in the way they spoke. I wondered if perhaps they both just took a moment to really think about their response. Or it might have been just an inherited affectation that she inherited from her father. Regardless, I thought it was quite charming. As well as very telling about the close relationship they had.
Family was obviously so important to Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn and that was best exemplified by the longevity of their marriage. But also in the tributes paid to him at the funeral the other day when members of the family spoke with such heartfelt love about him.
America has lost a wonderful example of what it means to be the head of a household. Not by making his wife subservient, they walked and worked side by side. And not by stifling his children’s ambitions and dreams. He may not have liked it when Amy got arrested as an activist then dropped out of college, returning to academia later to get a bachelors degree in fine arts from Memphis College of Art.
The family aspect of Carter’s life so perfectly illustrated this quote from Albert Camus, “Don’t walk in front of me… I may not follow
Don’t walk behind me… I may not lead …Walk beside me… just be my friend.”
That’s all for today, folks. I hope your week gets off to a terrific start, and if you’re not familiar with the NPR podcast, Fresh Air, it’s filled with interviews with celebrities from music, theatre, movies, books, politics, and more. Try it, you might like it. 🙂 Be safe. Be happy.
