Reprinted from Wallwritings
The news came from NPR: A loved one has cancer.
Former President Jimmy Carter made the announcement from the Carter Center in Atlanta.
He did not mince words. He has cancer and it has spread.
His announcement was candid and truthful.
The cancer first identified in his liver, has "spread to other parts of his body". He expects to hang around for a while; his travel schedule is only cut back, not canceled. How long will a "while" last? We will just have to wait and see.
In Georgia where I grew up, a "loved one" is a family member, or someone who has joined the family circle.
Jimmy Carter, this nation's 39th president, is an adopted "loved one" in our family. He is also a fellow Georgian.
It was my great blessing and privilege to work for him through his two campaigns for the White House. Since he and Rosalynn left the White House, we have stayed "in touch."
After learning of the cancer, I wrote immediately to inform him it is too early for him to leave the battlefield. And, God willing, he won't leave anytime soon.
I have been reading stories of his cancer announcement. I have also perused the reviews and interviews from his most recent book tour.
One interview in the Los Angeles Times, was especially well done. Written by the Times' Carolyn Kellogg, it was on target, with this headline: "In 'A Full Life,' Jimmy Carter at 90 remains a wise truth teller."
Carter's book demonstrates his consistent "truth telling". It is entitled, A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety.
Kellogg's interview lifts up the truth-telling characteristic of Carter's that is at the center of his life as a man and as a world leader. She writes:
"One challenge of Carter's presidency was that he spoke the truth, even though during his years in the White House (1976-80), the truth was often bad news. He faced an energy crisis, a capsizing economy, opposition from Congress, and the revolution in Iran than led to American hostages being held captive 444 days."
Kellogg concludes her interview:
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