(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . My Unexpected Handwritten Letter from Jimmy Carter [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-23 We all know that life has a myriad of unpredictable events splashed across the landscape of our existence, which can cause happiness, pain, and/or just general chaos or some mixture of the forgoing all at once. With the sobering news that former President Jimmy Carter has transitioned into home hospice care, one of the most poignant and impactful “unpredictable events” to have ever intersected my life was brought to the fore. About 16 years ago, my wife Bonnie and I were already well on the way to what we are doing today as civil rights activists and co-founders of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF). Our advocacy was and still is centered on fighting to protect the Constitutionally-guaranteed wall separating church and state in the United States armed forces, the 17 U.S. national intelligence agencies, and other federal-related government entities. We learned early on that this fight is nontrivially lonely, dangerous, brutal, and expensive. Indeed, we also experienced an almost indescribable degree of the most vicious antisemitism one can imagine. In fact, my wife has written two books just about the hate mail we have been inundated with to this very day and hour. However, on that day about 16 years ago, our mailman dropped off that day’s mail at our home as always. As I went through it, I noticed an envelope with a return address of “President Jimmy Carter.” Honestly, I almost tossed it in the shred file as I thought it was just some sort of mass donation solicitation or the like. But there was just something about that envelope that caught my eye that catalyzed the decision to go ahead and open it. I don’t quite know what it was to this day, but I’m so glad I did so. As I read the contents, I was gobsmacked and thunderstruck at the very same instant! It was a handwritten note in cursive from Jimmy Carter himself. The letter simply stated in elegant brevity that he had been closely watching what I’d been doing in creating MRFF and fighting for church-state separation in the military. He wanted me to know that he supported our activism and encouraged us to never give up this fight. That was it. Only a few sentences, yet it had universally emboldened me and my wife to do exactly as Jimmy Carter had requested of us! Everyone knows that Jimmy Carter is a devout Christian. Everyone knows that I am not. Nevertheless, approximately 95% of MRFF’s well over 82,000 active duty, reserve and national guard military clients, veterans, and other MRFF client categories ARE practicing Christians. Additionally, about 84% of our just under 900 volunteer and paid MRFF staffers stationed all over the world also follow the Christian faith. That letter from Jimmy Carter could not possibly have been more motivational to my wife and myself. It was only a few sentences in length, yet it hit like a veritable thunderbolt! Jimmy Carter is a literal GIANT among human beings on this planet. His unselfish grace and compassion are simply beyond competent measure. His life has been a brightly shining lodestar template for what so many of us ought to strive to be, irrespective of our own faith or non-faith religious traditions. As his final days pass at home now, with his family, in hospice care, I know that his sterling legacy will be no less dominant or lasting. Thank you forever for being the Poster Child for what it means to exemplify the old maxim that "Actions Speak Louder Than Words." We will all miss you terribly, President Jimmy Carter. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/23/2154585/-My-Unexpected-Handwritten-Letter-from-Jimmy-Carter Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/