by Joanne Wiklund
After watching the funeral of President Jimmy Carter, I kept thinking of grace. From peanut farmer in Plains, Georgia, to the Presidency. Rosalyn, his wife, came to the Quad Cities for a brief visit. My high schooler niece and I went to the airport to see her. I don’t remember the occasion that brought her here.
The place was covered with guys, suits, with ear pieces and wires down the suits fronts, dark glasses and matching neckties. She didn’t speak there. The whole thing took about fifteen minutes. I remember her smile. Genuine. She wasn’t hurrying at all. No one paid any attention to us. I don’t remember any police presence. Just the suits. We were not more than 20 feet from where she came in. Mrs. Carter waved and smiled at the gathering, then moved away from us surrounded by suits.
I have a photo I took of the smile and it looks genuine even yet. That’s what the Carter’s seemed to be through the years. As I listened to the eulogies by people who worked with him and family who loved him, it came through loud and clear. Jimmy Carter and Rosalyn were both genuine.
His vice president said the thing that mattered most to Jimmy Carter was truth. He quoted him as saying, “I will never lie to you.” He also said that Carter taught a weekly Bible study through his whole presidency as often as he could.
Grace is defined as unmerited favor. In this case it was an attribute they shared with each other and the world.
Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall rest unto your souls.”