Rosalynn Carter chairs a 1977 meeting of the President’s Commission on Mental Health. Via Wikipedia.
By Emory Morsberger
LILBURN, Ga. | There are moments in a lifetime when the unique set of circumstances present themselves in an overwhelming way. This has been the case in mourning the death of First Lady Rosalynn Carter. The praises that have been reflected in news reports here in Atlanta, across the nation and around the world, have told the story of a woman more magnificent than we all realized, even though we have known her for so many years.
Morsberger
We have been drawn to the news reports, to the stories of her strength, to the images of her childhood in Plains, Georgia, and her lifelong commitment to her husband. We’ve read that Jimmy Carter’s mother helped with her delivery and her best friend was Jimmy Carter’s sister. But all of this is only part of the story of her life and impact.
I was fortunate enough to have been included in a reception the evening before her memorial service in Atlanta at Glenn Memorial Methodist Church on the Emory University campus. As we gathered among the holiday lights in Atlanta Botanical Garden, I was reminded of how our community does pull together at momentous times such as this.
When I entered the reception, I immediately realized that I was among friends from 40 years that I had not seen in so long. I caught up with Keith Mason, Judge Annie Hunt Burriss, and Keegan Federal. Among us were people who were in the Georgia legislature, people who worked on Carter’s presidential campaign, and even some who worked on the gubernatorial one. We reminisced, we hugged, we shared our stories about our relationship with the Carters.
I am fortunate to be a member of the Board of Councilors for the Carter Center, where we attend meetings four times a year to learn more about their work around the world. In so many of these meetings, both President Carter and Rosalynn were there sitting in the front row, or Carter sitting on the stage to wrap up the meeting with his own comments and to take questions from the audience.
These have all been precious moments, moments to savor and realize that we in Atlanta and Plains who’ve had the blessing to get to know the Carters as friends have shared in these special moments of tribute.
The Carter Center and staff have done a magnificent job in handling every detail. We watched it on television. We’ve read about it, and we’ve shared our own stories.
We pray for President Carter and the entire family for their loss, but we also thank them for sharing Rosalynn Carter with us.
The advocate, the mountain climber, the hero for so many, as she elevated awareness of mental illness and fought for its support and her work through the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers. We realize more today the impact she has had on so many lives. And it is our job now to carry on her missions, which were all embraced with compassion, intelligence, energy, and determination.
Yes, I am blessed to have had an opportunity to know her. I am blessed to have reunited with a community based on love and friendship. We will miss her, and we will hang on to her legacy for years to come.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Follow Us