I heard the challenge: it's about character. It always has been.

I just read Heather Cox Richardson's daily letter, in which she does a nice job of recapping the highlights from the eulogies given at President Carter's funeral. I am particularly struck by one phrase in President Biden's speech, that challenges me to dust myself off and to keep trying, keep working for what I know is important:

"Character, Biden said, is not about being perfect, for none of us are perfect. It’s about 'asking ourselves: Are we striving to do…the right things?… What are the values that animate our spirit? To operate from fear or hope, ego or generosity? Do we show grace? Do we keep the faith when it’s most tested?'”

And I know that my faith in my country, in some people I had considered friends and neighbors, has been sorely tested. Like President Carter, I tend to think more globally. I want the planet to exist for all people, and folks need to be treated with respect and love. Some people make that last one really hard, and that's a test. One I tend to either barely pass or even fail, quite often. I have pretty high standards for my own behavior, and I --unfortunately, perhaps-- hold others to the same. I have to remind myself daily that people can only do and give as much as they are able to, but the suspicion sneaks in that many are just holding back because they don't give one single damn about anyone but themselves. That last thought is uncharitable, but it's based on irrefutable evidence. Sigh, and sigh again. Try, and try again. 

But you, my friends, are the stalwart ones. I appreciate and applaud your daily efforts to make the world safer, saner, and more charitable. We can do this. I'm just tired. But it's good work, necessary work, and if a man who lived to 100 can keep going until the last, I have no excuse. I should hold myself to his standard.

President Carter's favorite song was "Imagine," and Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks honored him with a beautiful rendition at the funeral. Here it is.

Have a good day, and be safe.

C