THEIR WORDS WERE MOVING, heartfelt, inspiring. Words that spoke to a selfless, loving, compassionate and kind man. Qualities we should strive to emulate.
It was not lost on me, as I watched the televised funeral of President Jimmy Carter this morning, that some of those attending the service at the National Cathedral in Washington DC have veered far from those traits. When you’re in public office, you are held to higher standards. Or at least you should be. I hope the politicians in the crowd were listening intently.
But I don’t want to get into a political discussion here. Rather, I want to offer a recap of the eulogies that really resonated with me.
I was especially impressed with the message delivered by Carter’s grandson Jason Carter. As I listened to this young man speak with such sincerity and eloquence, I thought, he should run for President some day. He spoke of a grandfather who was the same in public as in private, living a life of love and respect. Love. Respect. I can respect a man who, along with his wife, washed and reused plastic bags (as do I), still had a landline with dangling cord (I do) and wore crocs (I don’t). Jason brought laughter to the Cathedral while getting across his strong messages of faith, love and respect.
Then there’s Ted Mondale who read the eulogy written a decade ago by his father, Vice President Walter Mondale. The stand-out lines written by the elder Mondale were these: that he and Carter “told the truth, obeyed the law and kept the peace.” Those words repeated in my head. I found myself thinking, if only all leaders held to those principles.
President Joe Biden, a long-time friend of Jimmy Carter and likewise a man of faith, focused on strength of character. Carter was, he said, a man of character who treated everyone with dignity and respect. There’s that word again—respect. He called Carter “a practitioner of good works” who followed the guideline of “love thy neighbor as thyself.” That statement followed Biden’s comment that faith requires action. I agree. There’s no doubt Carter lived his faith given his humanitarian work. Carter, Biden said, lived a life filled with the power of faith, hope and love.
The Rev. Andrew Young, former US ambassador to the United Nations, spoke of a President who grew up as a minority in Sumter County, Georgia, among the majority Black. He celebrated Carter’s ability to get along with everyone, saying the President loved all of God’s children.
Certainly, many additional meaningful words were shared. But these are the messages that struck me as specific, yet broad. Words for all of us. Words that should inspire us to live better, be better.
It was fitting, too, that the gospel reading came from Matthew 5:1-16. That includes The Beatitudes from Jesus’ sermon on the mount and the four verses following. Blessed are…the poor…the meek…the peacemakers… Blessed are those who mourn.
On this national day of mourning for 100-year-old President Jimmy Carter, I feel inspired. Inspired to let my light shine (Matthew 5:16), not in a spotlight-on-me kind of way, but as someone who can light the world by being kind, caring and compassionate. By living a life of love and respect.
© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
a wonderful eulogy of your own. This means so much to me. Thank you.
You are welcome, Cecilia. I’m grateful you were touched by this post. 🙂
Amen Audrey! It would be so fantastic if all politicians (and all humans) lived this way, so to have similar words spoken at their funeral.
Precisely.
Audrey, I was struck by it in the exact same way. The words shared by the sons, grandsons, and current president really said it all about Jimmy. I was struck by the contrast with some others attending and I wondered if the words made any impact on them. It was a beautiful service and a beautiful tribute to this amazing man and the legacy he left for us.
Yes, you have to wonder if the words spoken made an impact. It truly was a beautiful service and tribute to President Carter.
There is a lot to respect and even admire of President J. Carter. President Carter’s Navy service aboard a nuclear submarine means he was hand selected by Admiral Rickover (no small deed). I do think President Carter either made some bad decisions on his own or was ill-advised and those decisions resulted in failures. Failure can cost lives. I know, I was called out to bury one of his mistakes. I was summoned to be on a funeral detail for one of the Marines who lost their life in the attempted hostage rescue mission. Audrey, the reporter was there (I think of you when I remember this event.) shoving a camera up our noses and asking questions a mile a minute. While we pray for peace and extend our love to others, there are hose who do not share this view Police, Firemen, EMTs – even the military are there to protect your peace so that you can sleep safely in your homes, travel unmolested and go about your business in relative safety. Let us learn from the lives of others and the lessons they teach us so that we too can be better human beings.
Thank you for being part of that funeral detail all those decades ago, Gunny. Yes, “mistakes” are made in every Presidency, Carter’s no exception. As for the reporter, he/she was just doing his/her job. But I can understand how that would be hard to witness. And, yes, we can always learn from others.
Thank you for this recap on Jimmy Carter’s funeral. I would have liked to have watched it. What an amazing man, and such an inspiration to us all.
It was a time commitment to watch Carter’s funeral. But once I started watching, I couldn’t tear myself away. Carter was, indeed, amazing and inspiring.
I watched the funeral, too, and listened intently to these eulogies. The reverence with which people spoke of Jimmy Carter was striking. I agree about his grandson Jason’s eulogy being especially touching. Jimmy Carter made me want to be a better human being.
I figured you might watch his funeral, Kathleen. It was well worth my time. And, yes, Carter set a good example for all of us to follow.