Rosalynn Carter’s Grandson: ‘My Grandmother Doesn’t Need a Eulogy; Her Life Was a Sermon’

CARTER Governor and First ░░░░░░░░ Kemp thank you Senators ░░░░░░░░ and Ossoff thank you ░░░░░░░░ Mayor Dickens thank you ░░░░░░░░ And again a special ░░░░░░░░ you Secretary Clinton Mrs ░░░░░░░░ Mrs Obama Mrs Trump ░░░░░░░░ Dr Biden Thank you ░░░░░░░░ for coming and acknowledging ░░░░░░░░ remarkable sisterhood that you ░░░░░░░░ with my grandmother And ░░░░░░░░ you all for your ░░░░░░░░ that you provided for ░░░░░░░░ country and the world ░░░░░░░░ Clinton and Dr Biden ░░░░░░░░ also welcome your lovely ░░░░░░░░ laughter applause I mean ░░░░░░░░ is a difficult day ░░░░░░░░ my family but we ░░░░░░░░ been so enormously gratified ░░░░░░░░ the love and support ░░░░░░░░ we have felt from ░░░░░░░░ the world So thank ░░░░░░░░ so much And as ░░░░░░░░ Warnock told me my ░░░░░░░░ doesn t need a ░░░░░░░░ Her life was a ░░░░░░░░ And it was a ░░░░░░░░ testament to the power ░░░░░░░░ faith and to the ░░░░░░░░ of a deep and ░░░░░░░░ love And she lived ░░░░░░░░ public love story that ░░░░░░░░ all know of that ░░░░░░░░ inspired the world including ░░░░░░░░ these last days and ░░░░░░░░ think of all the ░░░░░░░░ she accomplished her most ░░░░░░░░ moment was when they ░░░░░░░░ at a baseball game ░░░░░░░░ the Braves put them ░░░░░░░░ the Kiss Cam And ░░░░░░░░ like today I mean ░░░░░░░░ were crying at the ░░░░░░░░ game you know laughter ░░░░░░░░ we we heard about ░░░░░░░░ for years It s ░░░░░░░░ But my family we ░░░░░░░░ experienced those more private ░░░░░░░░ stories And she was ░░░░░░░░ grandmother first and she ░░░░░░░░ like everyone else s ░░░░░░░░ in a lot of ░░░░░░░░ Almost all of her ░░░░░░░░ call for mayonnaise for ░░░░░░░░ laughter We all got ░░░░░░░░ from her on our ░░░░░░░░ 20 bill in it ░░░░░░░░ I was 45 20 ░░░░░░░░ She was so down ░░░░░░░░ earth y all it ░░░░░░░░ amazing And one of ░░░░░░░░ stories we ve been ░░░░░░░░ about in my family ░░░░░░░░ last few days as ░░░░░░░░ were on a family ░░░░░░░░ and we were on ░░░░░░░░ flight on Delta from ░░░░░░░░ to somewhere and we ░░░░░░░░ all sitting in the ░░░░░░░░ of the airplane together ░░░░░░░░ took off and we ░░░░░░░░ over my grandmother took ░░░░░░░░ this Tupperware of pimento ░░░░░░░░ and this loaf of ░░░░░░░░ and she just started ░░░░░░░░ sandwiches and she gave ░░░░░░░░ to all of us ░░░░░░░░ and then she started ░░░░░░░░ them to other people ░░░░░░░░ the plane And people ░░░░░░░░ sitting there like Rosalynn ░░░░░░░░ just made me this ░░░░░░░░ They couldn t believe ░░░░░░░░ but she loved people ░░░░░░░░ she was a cool ░░░░░░░░ She was cool Like ░░░░░░░░ did tai chi with ░░░░░░░░ sword And if you ░░░░░░░░ to see a five ░░░░░░░░ old boy be excited ░░░░░░░░ would come back dad ░░░░░░░░ know mom Carter has ░░░░░░░░ sword She once told ░░░░░░░░ about this trip papaw ░░░░░░░░ all took to Havana ░░░░░░░░ the fifties She said ░░░░░░░░ all went down there ░░░░░░░░ the night and you ░░░░░░░░ t get a hotel ░░░░░░░░ And I said what ░░░░░░░░ you do She looked ░░░░░░░░ me like we danced ░░░░░░░░ slept on the plane ░░░░░░░░ danced She was a ░░░░░░░░ for our family And ░░░░░░░░ s true but in ░░░░░░░░ ways she was more ░░░░░░░░ Chip said an adventurer ░░░░░░░░ voyager a mountain climber ░░░░░░░░ learned to ski in ░░░░░░░░ sixties and then skied ░░░░░░░░ 25 more years As ░░░░░░░░ said she fished trout ░░░░░░░░ from Georgia to Wyoming ░░░░░░░░ from Venezuela to Siberia ░░░░░░░░ 120 countries climbed Mount ░░░░░░░░ and Mount Fuji and ░░░░░░░░ peaks in Bolivia and ░░░░░░░░ places And I know ░░░░░░░░ she went to the ░░░░░░░░ base camp in Nepal ░░░░░░░░ I can guarantee you ░░░░░░░░ she was looking up ░░░░░░░░ that thing and think ░░░░░░░░ they would just let ░░░░░░░░ And based on what ░░░░░░░░ did I think she ░░░░░░░░ have done it She ░░░░░░░░ born just a few ░░░░░░░░ after women got the ░░░░░░░░ to vote in this ░░░░░░░░ town in the South ░░░░░░░░ people were still plowing ░░░░░░░░ fields behind mules but ░░░░░░░░ was made for these ░░░░░░░░ journeys and she was ░░░░░░░░ to summit these mountains ░░░░░░░░ they said before when ░░░░░░░░ started in politics she ░░░░░░░░ never talk to a ░░░░░░░░ of people bigger than ░░░░░░░░ Sunday school class And ░░░░░░░░ she elected her governor ░░░░░░░░ a president She shaped ░░░░░░░░ national policy She faced ░░░░░░░░ dictators herself on issues ░░░░░░░░ human rights She built ░░░░░░░░ Carter Center from an ░░░░░░░░ into a powerhouse for ░░░░░░░░ rights and as the ░░░░░░░░ of that board I ░░░░░░░░ watched her do it ░░░░░░░░ it s because she ░░░░░░░░ out her love all ░░░░░░░░ the world and especially ░░░░░░░░ Cathy said the end ░░░░░░░░ the road Her 122 ░░░░░░░░ included Liberia and Mali ░░░░░░░░ Sudan And it was ░░░░░░░░ for her to open ░░░░░░░░ her heart to those ░░░░░░░░ not with pity but ░░░░░░░░ partners And she knew ░░░░░░░░ those communities and recognized ░░░░░░░░ ancient steel from rural ░░░░░░░░ who carry their children ░░░░░░░░ their communities on their ░░░░░░░░ Whether they re from ░░░░░░░░ 600 person town in ░░░░░░░░ Georgia or South Sudan ░░░░░░░░ the song says she ░░░░░░░░ what comes back when ░░░░░░░░ give your love away ░░░░░░░░ from my grandmother what ░░░░░░░░ back was this unshakable ░░░░░░░░ and this powerful faith ░░░░░░░░ not just an abiding ░░░░░░░░ but a fierce determined ░░░░░░░░ love that sustained her ░░░░░░░░ all of these long ░░░░░░░░ Journeys like Cathy mentioned ░░░░░░░░ a guinea worm eradication ░░░░░░░░ has taken almost 40 ░░░░░░░░ But the Carter Center ░░░░░░░░ unwavering efforts and their ░░░░░░░░ partners in these tiny ░░░░░░░░ took a disease that ░░░░░░░░ three and a half ░░░░░░░░ people every year in ░░░░░░░░ poorest parts of the ░░░░░░░░ and this year there ░░░░░░░░ t be millions of ░░░░░░░░ this year we ve ░░░░░░░░ seven total cases And ░░░░░░░░ re in the last ░░░░░░░░ because she could see ░░░░░░░░ and she kept going ░░░░░░░░ not afraid of these ░░░░░░░░ journeys Her advocacy for ░░░░░░░░ health was a 50 ░░░░░░░░ climb that is as ░░░░░░░░ as any other and ░░░░░░░░ s been mentioned already ░░░░░░░░ if you imagine just ░░░░░░░░ far our society has ░░░░░░░░ in the last five ░░░░░░░░ on issues of mental ░░░░░░░░ and you think that ░░░░░░░░ decided in 1970 to ░░░░░░░░ that ancient stigma associated ░░░░░░░░ mental illness it is ░░░░░░░░ how far she could ░░░░░░░░ and how far she ░░░░░░░░ willing to walk And ░░░░░░░░ effort changed lives and ░░░░░░░░ saved lives including in ░░░░░░░░ own family She was ░░░░░░░░ for these long journeys ░░░░░░░░ Rosalynn Carter Institute helps ░░░░░░░░ because you can t ░░░░░░░░ alone Even the Rosalynn ░░░░░░░░ butterfly trail goes three ░░░░░░░░ gardens from Mexico to ░░░░░░░░ help monarch butterflies on ░░░░░░░░ journeys John Lewis once ░░░░░░░░ that at all of ░░░░░░░░ marches he only really ░░░░░░░░ one thing Don t ░░░░░░░░ them turn you around ░░░░░░░░ was my grandmother to ░░░░░░░░ T One of my ░░░░░░░░ memories of her was ░░░░░░░░ a hospital We were ░░░░░░░░ for my grandfather but ░░░░░░░░ had her own physical ░░░░░░░░ that made it hard ░░░░░░░░ her to walk She ░░░░░░░░ to practice She was ░░░░░░░░ to go for one ░░░░░░░░ these walks and she ░░░░░░░░ up this cane and ░░░░░░░░ looked at the cane ░░░░░░░░ looked at me and ░░░░░░░░ said you know it ░░░░░░░░ not a cane And ░░░░░░░░ said she said it ░░░░░░░░ a trekking pole Laughter ░░░░░░░░ said it s the ░░░░░░░░ same kind that those ░░░░░░░░ use when they go ░░░░░░░░ the South Pole I ░░░░░░░░ her walk down that ░░░░░░░░ that trekking pole and ░░░░░░░░ followed her And I ░░░░░░░░ pray that we never ░░░░░░░░ sight of that path ░░░░░░░░ and thank you.”

(Applause)