Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the US is causing quite a fashion stir because of his snazzy red Prada shoes, but for me it’s just another reminder of the time that two of the most beloved and religious leaders in the world came to see me! One morning I opened my window and stepped out onto my balcony to see none other than Pope John-Paul II on the street below. He was getting into one of the open black stretch limosines. (This was 1980 before his assasination attempt and the pope mobile.)
The entire street had been blocked off. An older lady and I were the only two watching from our apartment balconies. The Pope and other political and religious dignitaries began their procession; as Pope John-Paul II came toward me, I waved. He looked up, our eyes met, he smiled and raised his hand in a blessing.
A few years later, I had moved from the 6 arrondissement of Paris to the 17th (in the Cour Saint-Pierre). One morning I woke up and opened up my window to see none other than the Dalai Lama a few feet below me! He looked up at me and gave his famous smile; I smiled back. No I wasn’t dreaming, nor hallucinating, nor were they an illusion, but I was amazed both times to see them from my window!
Maya Muses: I took both these incidences as a sign….yes, I see signs everywhere! When I reflect back, however, I shouldn’t be surprised. When I lived in the 6th I lived right across the street from the Institut Catholique de Paris and in the 17th right across the little passageway from my apartment was the Centre Bouddhique Tibétain. Yet, how many people can say that they woke up and opened their windows to find the Pope and the Dalai Lama looking right at them!? You’re d-a-r-n right, not too many!
Photo Credits: Google Images and Flickr
2 responses so far ↓
1 Tina // Oct 16, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Oh wow…
We were devastated when Pope John Paul II passed away. we knew he was dying but I think what got me the most was the viewing of his body for 6 million people to see. He looked so peaceful, like he was sleeping. and there were cars going from kilometres from Krakow to Rome..
He is truly missed…
2 Lynn // Oct 17, 2008 at 3:56 am
I know! I was in Rome when Pope Paul VI died, and then Pope John Paul I took over, and then he died, and Pope John Paul II became such a beloved Pope.
Patrick and I said when he died, it was like the world lost a father. I think people the world over really felt a personal loss, rather than just the loss of a world, political or religious, figure.
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