#PopeInPhilly

It's the hashtag seen 'round the world.  Well, ok, maybe not around the world, but definitely in these parts.    Philly and Jersey, that is.    I don't know about you, but I'm super excited that the Pope is here in the US, and even more tickled that he is just out my back door, in Philadelphia!  I've been so stoked all week.   I even had 2 tickets to the Sunday mass but knew that we'd never get there, in the chaos and traffic, from NJ to PA.   So I gave them away on Craigslist.   Hopefully to someone who didn't turn around and sell them.    I'll never know, but I did it out of the goodness of my heart.   He'll deal with karma if he took advantage of my generosity.   I did print out the tickets before I transferred them, so I will put them in a scrapbook when I collect the local papers with all the Pope articles and pictures.   

I can't even watch Pope Francis on TV, without crying.   I can't explain why or how, I just know that it gets me "right there" and makes me emotional.   This is a big deal.      I kind of wish that everyone would stop lambasting him on Facebook and other social media outlets, making vulgar remarks about what they think he represents.  Or who they think he protects.  I'm not going into the long and detailed rant that I keep hearing, about the child molestation and sex assaults in our churches and dioceses.   Those priests and other clergy will pay for their sins, I do believe that.
Do not hold it against the Pope.  
Yes, he's Catholic and represents our Catholic church, but, truly, I believe that it's less about religion, and more about good values, being good people, helping and loving one another.  That's pretty much what he is asking and encouraging of us.  

We should be eager to forgive and love, to live a life with helping hands, and faithful, good hearts. 

None of us are getting out alive - (just hopefully going to a better place) ...   So, we have to live our lives in a way that matters, that counts.  

Pope Francis is asking us to be accepting of one another, to harbor less HATE and more LOVE and ACCEPTANCE.      

Like I said, I can't explain it, but I'm just so moved by Pope Francis being here.. Even though I'll get nowhere near him, while he is here, I'm still excited about his presence.    He brings with him a Peace that I can't quite describe.   A message of HOPE and UNITY.    I feel very blessed.