My Mother and the Pope

There will be thousands of bloggers writing down their thoughts on the passing of the Pope so why should I be different. How will the Pope's death effect the world? I suppose there will be a void for a couple of weeks and then someone else will take over. For myself it doesn't mean that much but for others, like my mother, it will mean a lot.

My mother was sad to see the Pope die, she has met him three times and often talked of his serenity, but when a new one is announced she will turn her attention to him and show the same love and loyalty. Why?

In many ways I'm jealous of my mother. She has had a pretty hard life, especially in her younger years. She watched her father beat her mother resulting in my gran being commited to a Mental institution for 40 years. She had to deal with her father's alcoholism and subsequent death leaving her a virtual orphan by the age of 13. Then moving into a flat at the age of 16 with no help from her brothers, who had all abandoned the family by that time. How did she manage to stay on the straight and narrow? How could she still be such a good person with no baggage? Being married to my father, who she loves dearly, and bringing up 3 boys was not easy but she did it with love, care and attention. There were never any poor me's or thoughts of running a mile. Her family were and are her life. Except for the one constant through her WHOLE life. The Catholic Church. If there was ever a problem or life was getting too much, she would turn to the church for her strength. The most amazing thing is that it has always come through for her. This has always given her the ability to hand things over to a higher power, in her case God. What an amazing way to be able to live a life. Total acceptance of what is and what will be. Never a question of why! Some people look on that as weakness. For me it is immense strength. That strength has carried her through into her 81st year now and there are no signs of slowing down, indeed I see another 20years at least! She couldn't have live so long and be weak.

Oh to have some of that strength! Is it her faith? I don't know but I do know she will be at Mass on Sunday praying for the whole family and for whoever the new Pope will be.

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