Jimmy Carter leans into faith and enjoys peanut butter ice cream during 3 months in palliative care

“Their faith is really grounded right now.”

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/2G8SlJNRI.IBt8czozihEQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/southern_living_806/d8e9f8b9c2f20c10e5dd42b17c090b3e” class=”caas-img”/>

It’s been three months since he entered hospice care, and former President Jimmy Carter is reportedly still in good spirits.

Jason Carter recently told The Associated Press that his grandfather spent his days visiting family and enjoying the occasional scoop of peanut butter ice cream at his modest home in Plains, Georgia.

Rosalynn, Jimmy’s wife of 76 years, is always by his side.

“They’re just meeting their family right now, but they’re doing it in the best way possible: both together at home,” Jason said of his grandparents. “They have been together for over 70 years. They also know that they are not responsible. Their faith is really anchored right now. That way it’s as good as it gets.

After a few brief hospitalizations, Jimmy announced his decision to forgo further medical procedures in February. At 98, he is the longest-lived president in US history.

Jason told the AP that his grandfather appreciates all of the support he has received since his entry into hospice was announced.

“It’s been one of the blessings of the last two months,” he said. “He’s definitely starting to see the outpouring and it’s certainly gratified him.”

At a celebration for the former president along Jimmy Carter Boulevard in Norcross on Tuesday, Jason expressed his amusement at people viewing his grandparents as celebrities.

“They’re like all your grandparents — I mean, in that your grandparents are rednecks from South Georgia,” he told a laughing crowd. “If you go there again today, next to their sink they have a little rack where they dry Ziplock bags.”

The Carters, who first met in their youth, have been married since July 7, 1946. They share four children, 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

In a 2021 interview with The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionJimmy said his love for Rosalynn has only grown over the decades they’ve been together.

The story continues

“We grew closer to each other. We learned from each other. And we learned to adapt to each other’s idiosyncrasies,” he shared. “And we’ve learned to give each other a lot of space. We can each do our own thing and the other absent.”

For more Southern Living news, be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Southern Living.