In a rare display of global unity, former President Jimmy Carter received over 14,000 messages in advance of his 99th birthday on October 1. The notes, according to CNN, came from as far as Australia, Ecuador, and Europe. Carter’s hometown—Plains, Georgia—recently honored the ex-POTUS, and though he has been battling health issues for years, Carter made a cameo last week at the city’s peanut festival. He famously put his peanut farm in a trust when he was elected president, lest he be accused of possible conflicts of interest. It was a simpler time.