One More Reason to Love JPII

Karol Wojtyla (Voy-tee-wa), a.k.a. Pope John Paul II is a personal hero of mine (I stumbled across this picture and had to post it). He's Polish like me, he's a lover of Jesus like me and he liked stylin' shoes like me (have you ever seen his shoes?! The man had style! Look here, here, and here).

I can remember the day he become Pope like yesterday. I was five years old and we were at my Polish great-grandma, Regina Prokof's house watching the t.v. broadcast of his election. My great-grandma's new live-in nurse, Josephine, had just arrived from, then Communist, Poland and the election of a Polish Pope was a cause for huge celebration among my Polish Catholic family, for Polish Catholic Chicago (which is the second largest Polish-speaking city in the world, including those in Poland!) and among the then-oppressed Poles. I can remember the tears of joy and excitement especially from Josephine, who was singing in Polish and crying and toasting us all. What a memorable day for this little pierogi.

So I just completed my Middler self-evaluation for seminary and one of the questions inquired about my "ability to laugh at myself". Anyways, this pictures would seem to suggest I'm in good company for being able to do so. Seeing JPII reminded me of that special day back in '78. And now Pope John Paul II and my Great-Grandma have gone to rest with the Lord and Jospehine has returned to Poland. Rest in Peace Il Papa...Rest in Peace Grandma...God bless you Josephine.