Nicodemus and Me
With the Pope's death, I am reminded of his visit to Chicago in 1979. I went to Grant Park to get a glimpse of him and to see the ceremony. I was able to get relatively close but couldn't see all that well as the crowd was a crush. My remedy was to climb a tree. I sat in a tree in my business clothes and watched the whole event from that point on in relative comfort and with a clear view of him.
Later, when I told some of my Protestant church-going friends what I had done, they were aghast. "You're a X or Y. How could you go see a Catholic service?!," was the universal response. My reply was that I was having a probable once-in-a-lifetime experience and that I knew I was in the presence of someone very special. I am glad I went and climbed that tree. The negative mopes, some I can't even remember their names, I haven't spoken with in 20 years. But I certainly remember climbing that tree and can remember where it is in Chicago's Grant Park.
It's very interesting to me how some individuals go through their lives with a "You can't..."-attitude. I remember their negativism more than I remember them. How's that for a legacy?
Later, when I told some of my Protestant church-going friends what I had done, they were aghast. "You're a X or Y. How could you go see a Catholic service?!," was the universal response. My reply was that I was having a probable once-in-a-lifetime experience and that I knew I was in the presence of someone very special. I am glad I went and climbed that tree. The negative mopes, some I can't even remember their names, I haven't spoken with in 20 years. But I certainly remember climbing that tree and can remember where it is in Chicago's Grant Park.
It's very interesting to me how some individuals go through their lives with a "You can't..."-attitude. I remember their negativism more than I remember them. How's that for a legacy?
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