Where were you?

As a child growing up, the question was often asked, "Where were you when President Kennedy was shot?" I was very young when this happened and I don't remember where I was. And now the question that is frequently asked is "Where where you when Pope John Paul II died?" and I very vividly remember where I was.

My family and a good friend were vacationing in North Carolina when it became evident that the Pope was nearing his return to the Father. Like many people, we kept the TV tuned to one of the news channels for updates and prayed that he would have a peaceful death. But, as we prepared to return home, we knew that we would have to find radio stations that broadcast the news, or at least, were following his journey home. After listening to the same news stories over and over again, we opted to take a break and listen to some music and lo and behold, when we returned to the news, we heard that he had died. There was silence in the car as we all said a prayer of thanksgiving for the man who was Pontiff for most of our lives (and in the case of my son, his whole life) and did so much not only for the Church, but for the world.