Pope John Paul II

WHAT I LEARNED FROM POPE JOHN PAUL II
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am not a Catholic, but I felt a deep loss when Pope John Paul II took ill and then died. That's what happens to us with public people--we connect with them even if we didn't know them. Remember when JFK was shot? When Princess Di was killed? We invite these men and women into our hearts, we live through them, and when they die, we are affected. We embrace them, and they become part of our family. All you afternoon soap fans will know exactly what I am talking about!

I learned important life-lessons from Pope John Paul II, and I would like to share some of them with you. He was consistent in his message, never wavering and always being crystal clear about what the Church stood for. Perhaps that explains whay he was always surrounded by so many adoring young people. It was unusual, don't you think, for an 80-year-old man to be cheered and adored by teen-agers and Gen-Xers. But perhaps not so surprising--they knew "where he was coming from," and agree or disagree, the messenger could always be trusted. What an important messgage for us parents!

He was serene in his illness. He was never afraid, even when we all were. He knew he was dying, but it never "defined" him. He saw himself as a Pope who was ill, not a walking illness who happened to be the Pope! He did everyhing he could to retain the spark of holiness with which God created him, and at the end, we knew that the Universe had lost a Master of Holiness. Jewish Tradition might even call him a Tzaddik, a living breathing exemplar of a higher level spirit, an reminder of what you and I might become in our own lives

In The News:

JANE GLENN HAAS: Site offers tips on dealing with grief, loss
Centre Daily Times, PA - Sep 2, 2008
... offers visitors an opportunity to counsel with leading educators, authors, grief counselors and psychologists on topics related to grief and loss. ...

Heartland Hospice Grief-Loss-Recovery Seminar
KXMA, ND - Aug 31, 2008
Heartland Hospice of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Health Center will hold a five-week Grief-Loss-Recovery Seminar and Support Group starting Sept. 1. ...

Mother's grief after family deaths
The Press Association - 21 hours ago
The mother of millionaire businessman Christopher Foster has spoken of her grief and shock at the loss of her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. ...

Hundreds mourn loss of Harris
Lexington Dispatch, NC - 10 hours ago
“This is a loss for us, too.” After the memorial service, many said the outpouring of grief was matched only by love. Thomas Harris, Josh’s uncle, ...

Boston Herald
Friends, family shocked by death of Holliston athlete
Boston Globe, United States - 9 hours ago
Grief counselors met with students and the football team. Cars lined the street where Larracey lived, and people hugged in his parents' driveway, ...
Lineman’s death shocks Holliston Boston Herald
Holliston football player, 16, dies Milford Daily News
Vigil planned for Holliston football player Larracey tonight NECN
Boston Herald - Boston Globeall 40 news articles

Grieving can be lonely task
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN - Sep 5, 2008
... life together and become widowed; and elderly individuals who experience a loss and have no nearby support system - all experience grief in a vacuum. ...

Support Groups
Aurora Beacon News, IL - 22 hours ago
MALES: Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice offers a support group for grieving men -- MALES, Men After a Loss Expressing themselves Safely. ...

Losses of many kinds cause grief
Media Newswire (press release), NY - Sep 5, 2008
“Understanding loss and our response to it, grief and mourning, may lessen its effect on our lives,” Crocker said. After a loss occurs, a person must ...

Grief-stricken boy works through mom’s death in ‘Trees’
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, IA - Sep 5, 2008
It’sa tale of loss and recovery, and when told through the eyes of detail-oriented Sebby, the story’s impact gains immediate purchase in readers’ hearts and ...

Understandable grief
Danville News, PA - 3 hours ago
It is enough that you are faced with the loss of this beautiful child that you have loved for almost 19 years, and then you have all these decisions to make ...
grief loss - Google News


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