MAD POPE CRUSH

I came across this article in The Huffington Post soon after Easter and have wanted to share it ever since.  It was written by the father of Dominic Gondreau, who is the boy in the photo to the right.  Dominic has cerebral palsy, and when the Pope saw him in the crowd as he made his way to deliver his Easter address, he immediately stopped to give Dominic an incredibly tender and heartfelt embrace.  I watched the video at my office and immediately started crying, then sent it to my closest colleagues, who also shed a tear or two.  It was a pretty hilarious way to start a random Tuesday in April, but the lesson I took from observing the power of this image and the wise words of Dominic's father about the encounter have lasted me all month.    It inspired me on so many levels:  as a parent, as a human, and definitely as someone who thinks a lot about faith but often struggles with the role of the modern church. 

To be honest, I've never really given much thought or care to the role of the Pope, but I am so damn inspired and excited by Pope Francis that it's kind of weird.  I actually am starting to "get" what all the fuss is about, and why people would trek thousands of miles to see this man.  Here's a clip of his encounter with Dominic Gondreau, as well as a brief interview with his family. The Pope's interaction comes across so honest and pure in this way that someone can't fake or politician their way through.  Seriously, I love this man:

The teachable moment for me came in the father's reflection about his own growth and ability to learn about the absolute nature of love through his experience of parenting Dominic, and how Pope Francis' small gesture of a hug could serve as a reminder to all of us that spiritual wisdom truly "confounds the wisdom of the world."  This felt very applicable to my parenting life, and I know all parents, regardless of whether their children have special needs, often feel like their well has run dry and the work and sacrifice required of them is beyond what feels humanly possible.  If you don't have time to read the entire article, here's an excerpt: 

BELATED APRIL FOOLS

If you didn't get a good laugh in yesterday, I'll share the highlight of my day.  My husband (along with a billion other people I'm sure) came across this video yesterday and got me really psyched to watch it, reminding me that I'm one of five people left in the universe who still uses a Hotmail account and I should really think about upgrading.  It took probably longer than it should have, but eventually I was laughing out loud.  What do you think?  Is Gmail Blue in your future?