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Former President Jimmy Carter Makes Rare Appearance Ahead of 98th Birthday | He Is in Good Health
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Former President Jimmy Carter Makes Rare Appearance Ahead of 98th Birthday | He Is in Good Health

Rosalynn Carter will ring in her 95th birthday on August 18, while Jimmy Carter will turn 98 years in October.

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Scott Cunningham

Former President Jimmy Carter will celebrate his 98th birthday in October. His wife, Rosalynn Carter's 95th birthday is on August 18th.

The couple recently made a rather rare appearance. As the Friends of the Carter's organization unveiled a massive butterfly statue in honor of the former first lady's birthday, they engaged in nearly an hour-long conversation with attendees, according to 11 Alive.

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The statue is located in a field close to Rosalynn Carter's childhood home and is a part of the Rosalynn Carter Children's Garden. It represents 8/18 by having eight limbs and 18 butterflies that flutter over the foliage. 

Carter is in good health, said, Tim Buchanon, an employee with the Friends of the Carters organization. "He reads his Bible every day, is engaged in family meetings, and chimes in on decisions related to the Carter Center in Atlanta," Buchanan said.

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Carter, born on October 1, 1924, was elected as the 39th President of the United States in 1976. Before that, he served as a state senator and as governor of Georgia. However, once his tenure at the White House ended, he shifted his focus to humanitarian work, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.


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Along with being the longest-living president, the Carters are also the longest-married presidential couple in the US. The two got married on July 7, 1946, and their love deserves to be celebrated.

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Rosalynn was Carter's sister, Ruth's best friend. He knew Rosalyn from the day she was born. After their very first date, he was sure that she is the woman with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life. He told his mother, "That was the girl I wanted to marry," quotes Good Morning America

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Now, after nearly eight decades since their wedding, the couple still lives in the small town that witnessed them grow from little children to lovers to spouses, cites AP. “It’s a full partnership,” Carter said.

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It's no easy feat to remain married for this long, but the Carters have a piece of very simple advice that has helped them through tough times. “My biggest secret is to marry the right person if you want to have a long-lasting marriage,” Carter said. “Every day there needs to be reconciliation and communication between the two spouses,” the former president said. “We don’t go to sleep with some remaining differences between us,” he said. 

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Rosalynn chimed in, talking about the importance of finding things that are interesting to both. “Jimmy and I are always looking for things to do together.” But, this doesn't mean you stick to each other like glue, because “each (person) should have some space. That’s really important.”  

"For 75 years of marriage we've always gone deeper in our love for one another," the president said. "I think that's a kind of extraordinary thing. Doesn't happen to very many couples, but it certainly happened to us."
 
Since then, they celebrated another year of togetherness, and are about to celebrate their birthdays, too. So, here's wishing them nothing but good health and happiness.

References:

https://www.11alive.com/article/features/former-president-jimmy-carter-doing-well-approaching-98-years-old-makes-appearance-in-plains-georgia/

https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/jimmy-rosalynn-carter-discuss-extraordinary-75-year-marriage-78615693

https://apnews.com/article/rosalynn-carter-lifestyle-religion-government-and-politics-680befbfed51cfa661f83f11d20f4609

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Scott Cunningham