The world mourns ex-President Jimmy Carter, who served between 1977 and 1981. Those were the years when I fell in love with America, and I remember well watching him on color TV for the first time in my life. He was beaten by Ronald Reagan in 1981 but not after endearing himself with the American people, especially after being able to help Israel and Egypt reach agreement about their differences. He was a very religious person and a happily married leader, having a young daughter Amy with him in the White House, even building her a tree-house to play in, on the grounds of his temporary famous home. After his presidency, he became involved with his wife Roslyn in Habitat for Humanity, helping in building houses for the poor. In December 2002, he even received the Nobel Peace prize for his untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development. Born in Georgia, Jimmy was a peanut farmer, but his interest in politics landed him as the Governor of Georgia, and from then on, there was no stopping him from achieving what he dreamed all though his life. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday December 29, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023, spent most of their lives. His funeral will be held on January 9, 2025.
