end of an era

      The haunting and lovely strains of the Navy hymn, Eternal Father, Strong to Save, brought me to tears as I listened to the Armed Forces chorus and orchestra perform the beautiful song at Jimmy Carter‘s funeral. It evoked so many feelings, both about my own father and about our country—and the end of an era.

      Truthfully, the era ended a while ago, but the finality hit me during the service.     

      I was 24 when President Carter was elected, and I had moved back to Alexandria, Va., after two years of teaching in the Virginia mountains. His inauguration is the only one I ever attended.

      It was a glorious cool winter day and he and Rosalynn got out of the limousine and walked most of the route down Pennsylvania Avenue. Everyone cheered.     

      After the turmoil of Watergate and the divisiveness of the Vietnam War era, Carter brought hope and optimism, even during a period of economic unease. The four years of his presidency mirrored my coming of age as a working adult, leaving my first profession as a teacher, going to grad school part time and becoming an editor.

      I remember many of his administration’s accomplishments, even though his presidency was derided as it became clear he was a Washington outsider. I had two friends who worked in the White House on his and the first lady’s staff, so I felt a connection that I have never felt since.    

      I also felt a bond because he and my father were in the same class at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. According to my father, they didn’t know each other well but the class had a number of future luminaries. I am reminded that maybe they really were the last great generation.

      I listened to part of the funeral on my car radio and then at home later, and was particularly moved by the eulogies, especially those of Stuart Eisenstadt, Jason Carter, Ted Mondale and Steven Ford. As they spoke, I couldn’t help but note the marked contrast between Carter (as a president, as a humanitarian and man of faith) and the person about to assume the presidency once again.

      Carter and Trump are polar opposites in every way as one can imagine. I felt a sense of impending doom and sadness that men like Carter are no longer with us.     

      President Carter lived a life that few of us will ever aspire to or achieve. He dealt with many difficult issues as a president, but always maintained his faith in people and his determination to love all. His funeral cemented the reality that we are at the end of an era. I fear for what we will encounter and be subjected to in the next four years and perhaps beyond.     

      The eulogies had memorable lines, but for me, Vice President Mondale’s words, read by his son, captured the essence of what it means to serve one’s country.     

      “Toward the end of our time in the White House, the President and I were talking about how we might describe what we tried to do. We came up with this sentence which to me remains an important summary of what we were trying to do.

      “’We told the truth, we obeyed the law and we kept the peace.’ That we did, Mr. President. I will always be proud and grateful to have had the chance to work with you toward these noble ends.”     

      Seemingly simple and yet so far out of reach now.maybe