MANY YEARS AGO, AFTER COMPLETING A BOOK HE ENJOYED, my Dad penned a note to the author, a recently famous man and one would live an historic life. Impressively, he received a handwritten response in short order from the author.
Honestly, I don’t recall which of the author’s books Dad had just finished but it was one of his earlier tomes with a message that resonated deeply with my father. And try as I might, I was unable to find that response note when I searched for it recently back home in Ireland so I can’t tell you with 100% certainty what it said. However, it’s safe to assume it acknowledged my father’s praise of the book and its overarching message and probably included a “best of luck in all things” – type closing above the author’s distinctive signature.
Though an ocean separated them, and they never actually met, Dad and the author shared a kindred spirit.
One grew up dirt-poor in a rural farming community, rode his bike to church, earned his way to the U.S. Naval Academy and became an officer aboard a nuclear submarine, then later a farmer and a governor and a U.S. president. And perhaps most impressively, a highly respected humanitarian when his time in public office ended. He penned 32 books, all of them New York Times bestsellers.
The other grew up dirt-poor in a rural farming community, had no running water or electricity, also rode his bike to church, worked hard to become a laboratory technician at a creamery for more than four decades, founded a Pipe Band that he remained passionately committed to for 60 years, and was heavily involved with his local community. He wrote one book in 2009. It was about the Newmarket Pipe Band.
KINDRED SPIRITS
As you undoubtedly know by now, James Earl Carter, Jr., 39th president of the United States, passed peacefully at home in tiny Plains, GA on December 29th. He was married to Rosalynn for 77 years and was 100 years old when he passed.
What you likely don’t know is that my Dad, Dermot Jeremiah Jones, had passed peacefully at home in County Cork, Ireland three days earlier, the day after Christmas. He was married to my Mum for 62 years and was 88 years old when he passed.
Kindred spirits departing the world within 72 hours of each other …
If you know me, you know I’m not one to pitch myself a pity party and this is certainly not a plea for condolences. I miss my father, of course, but I take great comfort knowing he enjoyed a long and rich life.
Though their worlds were very different, Dermot Jones and Jimmy Carter were both fine men who were deeply committed to their faith, their family, and their community. President Carter’s send-off was full of noble pomp and circumstance, the grandeur reserved for a former president and a true statesman. It was broadcast to an entire nation and live-streamed around the globe.
My Dad’s send-off was also full of pomp and circumstance, the dignified goodbye saved for a local guy who made a difference in a tiny town. It involved a parade of pipers and more than 1,200 people at his funeral service. It was live-streamed on the town’s Facebook page.
Writing Dad’s eulogy was a team effort by his four children. In it, we acknowledged and thanked many in attendance, shared poignant moments, and a few lighter mentions, as well, such as the time my Dad participated in a pipe band performance and inadvertently missed the birth of his third child … that would be me. [No worries, Dad, no hard feelings!]
Make no mistake, I’m not trying to equate Dermot Jones and Jimmy Carter. That wouldn’t be fair to either man. Their lives played out on different stages, taking wonderful but divergent paths. Where I do find a correlation is the fact they both left their mark and did their best to make the world a better place.
The term “selfless service” comes to mind.
HUMANITY & HUMILITY …
I would bet a dime to a dollar that what resonated with Dad in President Carter’s book, and what prompted him to take the time to pen a letter, was related to stepping up and helping others. That was an intrinsic part of both men’s DNA.
Historians haven’t necessarily been kind to President Carter’s single-term in The White House, but nobody ever questions the noble and caring way he spent the final decades of his life. He was deeply committed to Habitat for Humanity and was one who chose to pick up a hammer and pound nails in as much obscurity as a former president can, rather than capitalize on a quick photo opp and be off to more relaxing matters.
My Dad was much the same way. “Dermot always made time, was an ear, stopped to talk, and volunteered,” one person told me. And he’s right.
When I think of these fine men, the words “humanity” and “humility” emerge. Both genuinely cared about others and did what they could to serve them. We live in tough times, as you know. We Americans are so privileged to live in what truly is the Land of Opportunity and even the toughest of economic or political times doesn’t change that.
I think of the horrific wildfires in California, the devastating impact of two hurricanes in western North Carolina, the horror of a terror attack on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans, and I hear an earnest plea for assistance. For help. For support. For simple caring. For understanding. For kindness.
I also wonder what the world would be like if each of us would just slow down a bit and look around … taking time to be grateful for what we have, and to take note of the needs of others. I wonder what the world would be like if we each found ways to step up and help out, and to make that a habit.
I know what Dermot Jones and Jimmy Carter would do.
Cheers,
Kenneth Jones
