Month at a Glance

This is a new blog. It doesn't have months of posts to draw you inside and keep you reading. Until you post your stories, the best I can offer in leading ovations is a look back at the month of April. Below are some highlights from my life, from those around me, and from the world.

A Tribute
The world lost a formidable leader and compassionate man of faith with the passing of Pope John Paul II on April 2, 2005. Born Karol Józef Wojtyłaon May 18, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, Pope John Paul II saw himself as a man of faith with a mission of peace. In addition to heading the powerful Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II was a diplomat, a visionary, an evangelist, an activist, and a poet. Read more about about John Paul II in this PBS Frontline retrospective on his life.

Over This, Your White Grave
By Pope John Paul II, Krakow, Spring 1939

Over this, your white grave
the flowers of life in white--
so many years without you--
how many have passed out of sight?
Over this your white grave
covered for years, there is a stir
in the air, something uplifting
and, like death, beyond comprehension.
Over this your white grave
oh, mother, can such loving cease?
for all his filial adoration
a prayer:
Give her eternal peace.