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ACCORDING TO LIZ -
And my valentine goes out to…
Jimmy Carter’s love for his wife Rosalynn. A love that exemplified all that is good with the American people.
Rosa and Jimmy
Jimmy first laid eyes on Rosalynn the day after she was born. What grew from acquaintanceship – she became his younger sister’s friend – blossomed into true teenage love.
“The best thing I ever did was marrying Rosa. That's the pinnacle of my life, the best thing that happened to me.”
“It's hard to live until you're 95 years old… I think the best explanation for that is to marry the best spouse: someone who will take care of you and engage and do things to challenge you and keep you alive and interested in life.”
They celebrated 77 years of marriage on July 7, 2023.
“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished… She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”
“We decided early on to give each other plenty of space… He lets me do things I am interested in, and I let him do things he’s interested in… One nice thing about him is he thinks I can do anything.”
Carter was the first President to actively pursue the inclusion of women and minorities in his cabinet.
At their 75th wedding anniversary, their middle son Chip toasted his parents:
“They told us that every single person deserves our respect, regardless of their wealth, their race, their age, their politics, their sex, their sexual orientation, or the amount of power that they have. They protected their partnership perfectly.”
Two years later he disclosed that while the health of both his grandparents was failing, “They are still holding hands ... it's just amazing.”
The Carter Center was established to wage peace, fight disease and build hope. Instead of just running a foundation, Jimmy was often seen swinging a hammer himself building Habitat for Humanity homes.
Habitat for Humanity
Rosalynn was a leading advocate for mental health, women's rights and caregiving. Her mission to create decent housing for all will carry on.
“There are only four kinds of people in this world,” the former first lady was fond of saying. “Those who have been caregivers; those who are currently caregivers; those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.”
For more than three decades she and her husband donated their care, time and vision to help build homes alongside families around the world.
In their commitment to Habitat’s mission, the Carters traveled 167,279 miles, raising awareness in 70 countries.
Since 1984, the Carter Work Project has touched lives around the world by:
- helping build, repair and rehabilitate 4,417 houses
- attracting 910,000 pairs of helping hands to Habitat in 2023 alone
- working alongside 106,100 volunteers
- building in 14 countries with future homeowners
Jimmy Carter channeled FDR’s views: both believed adequate housing was a fundamental human right necessary for people to live in peace, and that everyone deserved appropriate health care and education to take advantage of their aptitudes.
In the years following his presidency, Carter continued to focus on advancing peace, health and human rights.
Rosalynn championed her husband:
“We have been with Habitat for so long and have seen so many people finally have a home… It gives them a sense of belonging, a sense of self-esteem… They have more time for family, more time for children. It is just life changing.
“So many people want to do something good and don’t know what to do. For anybody who wants to get involved with an organization, there is nothing that they could do that would give them such a life-changing experience as Habitat.
“It has made me a better person.”
The President didn’t hold himself apart as a spokesperson but walked the walk, down in the dirt elbow-to-elbow with other volunteers facing the often-frustrating challenges of building a home from bare bones out.
The Carters traveled far from their own home to where the need was greatest: from flood-ravaged New Orleans to barren sites in South Africa, from the barrios of Los Angeles to the abject poverty of Appalachia to toppled towns in post-earthquake Haiti.
Longtime volunteer David Letterman lauded the Carters during their 35th Work Project in his home state of Indiana:
“In my life, I have always struggled and envied people who have figured out a way to make a difference in the world, people who know how to ‘move the needle.’
“The President and his wife… have become in their lives a beacon — a beacon to show you what needs to be done and how it can be done.”
Another Celebrity Couple Takes the Torch
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood started volunteering for Habitat for Humanity following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and have been staunch supporters as builders and advocates for the organization ever since.
Speaking from his song-writing gut, Garth applauded the Carters:
“The hammering of these hundreds and hundreds of hammers and you know what they’re doing, they’re building love, man. And it’s the greatest feeling on the planet.”
Trisha supplemented:
“I think what they stand for is truly loving your neighbor… The other piece for us is getting to work alongside President and Mrs. Carter, just to observe their work ethic and love and compassion.
“Habitat is a great reminder to me of how grateful I need to be on a daily basis. I believe the adage, ‘To whom much is given, from him much is expected.’ Part of my job in life is to give back, and this is a wonderful way for me to give back.”
As Habitat’s new ambassadors, Brooks and Yearwood are continuing the legacy of the former President and first lady in making a difference, one house at a time.
Other aspects of the Carters’ love for humanity and commitment to the future are evident in recent Habitat builds, with homes that are not only affordable, but that espouse Jimmy’s conservative values in being sustainable and resilient, featuring solar panels, air source heat pumps, and water conservation measures.
The love of Jimmy Carter for Rosalynn epitomized family values and integrity in believing the best of all people.
In memoriam, share your love: give a Valentine to those in need.
If you would like to support Habitat for Humanity, you can volunteer or donate or, find your own way to show your love to the world.
Photo: Courtesy the Carter Center, Jimmy and Rosalynn on their wedding day.
(Liz Amsden resides in Vermont and is a regular contributor to CityWatch on issues that she is passionate about. She can be reached at [email protected])
