Just days before he was due to appear in Nashville to take part in the 36th annual Carter Work Project, former President Jimmy Carter suffered a fall in his Georgia home, resulting in a a bruised face and a gash above his left eye that required about fourteen stitches.
But if you think the 95 year old was about to let those injuries stop him from building homes for the needy, think again.
Sporting a big bandage and a gnarly bruise, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, appeared in Nashville as scheduled and spent the week helping to construct 21 homes.
This, fellow Habitat for Humanity supporter Garth Brooks said, is why Carter’s legacy goes far beyond American politics.
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In an interview with Yahoo News , the country singer praised Carter’s humanitarianism and said we should all follow in his footsteps, regardless of political affiliation.
Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, have been regular supporters and participants of the Carter Work Project for years.
This year, the country star marveled at Carter’s commitment to the cause and said it transcends any sort of “political agenda.”
“What the Carters stand for is what we should all shoot for as human beings,” Brooks said. “Please forget ‘Republican’ or ‘Democrat.’ What they are standing for is as human beings.”
He added that everyone should follow the former first couple’s lead, especially in today’s divisive political climate.
“You’ve got to understand that when you get to heaven, nobody cares about ‘Republican’ or ‘Democrat’ in heaven at all. ‘Welcome to heaven. This is it,'” Brooks said.
Speaking about building the new homes, he added, “You don’t care who’s on the other end of that board that’s helping you carry it. You don’t care the color of their skin, their sexual preference, their religious preference. It doesn’t matter. You’re all here to build a house for someone who needs it.
Just days after his fall, Carter made his first public appearance in Nashville and said nothing could keep him from making the trip.
“I fell down and hit my forehead on a sharp edge and I had to go to the hospital,” he explained of his injuries. “And they took 14 stitches in my forehead and my eye’s black, if you noticed.”
“But I had a number one priority and that was to come to Nashville to build houses!”
h/t: Yahoo News
