THE THRILL… I did get to see this pope, Pope Francis! It was 10 years ago – have many photos – he stopped to kiss every baby! I’m so grateful for a friend who scored passes and thought of me!!! Whee!

I wore my Aunt’s Connemara Marble Irish Cross necklace to see the Pope, I am very blessed to have it, she passed many years prior but we had just received her items from her son’s storage bin clean out after he passed.  It was an emotional time in my 1st year in newly awakened  faith, 10 years ago, it’s still a blessing today to remember that feeling of newness in awe.

I remember the interesting thing about the traffic, there was none, people avoiding the area like the plague, they warned ahead and people must have hunkered down fearing Pope traffic. We took the train, nobody on it… we never zipped into the city faster.

I remember the good set up, the waiting with a foot of space to sit on for hours, I remember chatting with people, I remember it wasn’t bad, there was a portapotty nearby and friendly folks, but oh so anxious to wait and see.

I carried a photo of my kids with me, blessed. I also took a VBS snowball, not real but really fun to have, I’m sure I still have it, VBS is part of my blessed existence. I am thrilled to teach in vbs again this year. I’ve saved real snowballs for that in the freezer this year. 

I wore my special green t-shirt to represent my hometown happiness. I wore my God-made smile because He made me into ME. I am grateful. I am grateful to be me.

I can give an opinion, but I won’t, about “was this a good Pope? or “good for the church” because that is too complex an answer. I just know people loved him. I know God loved him too, and I pray him rest in that Popemobile in the sky… Kiss Jesus for us, thanks…

Amen