St. John Paul II

This is for those of us without a story...

I've been seeing everyone's pictures and reading their beautiful tributes to the man that we all know now as St. John Paul II but who will always fondly be remembered as just JPII.

I don't have a story. Or rather... I do. But it's just an ordinary one.

I went to Rome for a semester during my sophomore year in college. It was in the spring (Spring Romers rule!) and it was probably the most important part of my college career, after meeting my husband. In vague generalities, it showed me what another part of the world looked like and how different people lived. While we were there, the school arranged for us all to attend one of the Pope's regular Wednesday audiences. We showed up, sat in a huge auditorium and waited while the Holy Father made his way down the center aisle turning side to side as he went. Just about the time he passed the section we were sitting, he turned towards the opposite side of the aisle and I snapped this picture.

Check out all the early 90's tech on display!

This was the closest I ever got to him. And it wasn't even this close because I had a zoom lens. I never saw the twinkle in his eye. I never heard the encouragement of his voice stir my soul. I never felt his words or his touch or his blessing set my faith on fire. And yet, I cried like a baby the day he died. It never occurred to me until that moment that he was the only pope I'd ever known. The. Only. Pope.

It wasn't until he was gone that I realized what a quiet figure he had been. Not a tower of strength and support because I didn't pay attention like that. Not an spiritual icon to be loved and revered because I was pretty clueless. I can't credit a specific occasion with having affected my life profoundly... I guess it was just the slow and steady culmination of his teaching and example... of just being there for so long. He didn't knock me off my horse. There was no specific moment of conversion/reversion inspired directly by him. He had just always been there.

Until he wasn't.

What is that proverb? "You never know what you've got till it's gone." That was me. When I realized that my children would not know him, would never meet him, would probably not even remember him. I wept.

So, that's my story.
JPII, I do love you.

A Pillow Doll Giveaway!

Apparently, I need better lighting when I embroider. Or glasses. Probably both now that I think about it. It wasn't until I was finishing this doll that I noticed I had accidentally grabbed the variegated red, not the solid color red. See how the left side of his cape is lighter than the right side? Don't worry if you can't. My color blind husband can't either, but I can. Since I don't feel like I can sell this one in the shop, I'm offering it here as a giveaway.

You can enter below using the Rafflecopter entry widget for a chance or multiple chances to win this little Blessed (soon to be Saint) John Paul II Pillow Doll. The giveaway closes Thursday night at 11:59pm so I can get the doll in the mail to the winner on Friday. 

If you don't want to wait until the giveaway closes, there is one JPII doll in the shop right now. I plan on putting the shop on vacation starting April 6th so, if you'd like to place an order for anything over there for Easter, please keep that deadline in mind. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Simple celebrations: Bl. John Paul II

How excited are we to get to celebrate today? Very!!! But nobody is in the mood for a treat so we will save our Kremówka Papieska for another day. We did read over the Office of Readings for the day. Right now, our JPII roses are blooming like crazy and are producing the biggest blooms we have ever seen. This is a picture of Shortcake's hands holding the biggest blossom...