Pope John Paul II's death today was not a surprise. He had definitely been going downhill for the past few months. As a firm agnostic and someone who is a moderate, it is somewhat surprising that I've always had a bit of soft spot for the Pope. But he was very very smart man with a real sense of humanity.
In February of 1981, very early in his Papacy, Pope John Paul II stopped over in Anchorage. It was a huge deal. The day of his visit, I got up very early, drove downtown, parked at friend's house, and got to the Park Strip by 5:30 AM. The Pope was not due there until Noon, but I wanted to have a good vantage point for the outdoor Mass.
I had way more than a good vantage point. His Anchorage visit was prior to the assassination attempt, so security was not super tight. I staked out a spot 35 feet from the front of the large temporary altar. And then I stood there for seven hours in 20 degree weather. I totally froze - but I was not going to relinquish my spot! When I first arrived, there was a smattering of fellow folks. By the time the Pope arrived at Noon, there were 100,000 people - all standing behind me. This was definitely a case of the Early Bird getting the worm.
The Pope arrived at the Park Strip in his open air Popemobile. It was the coolest thing. When he walked up to altar, I could have reached out and touched him. Unbelievable.
By the time Mass was performed, I was pretty darn cold and hungry. So, when the priests came by with the communion wafers, I actually took one. I realize this was a huge sin. But I was starving and figured that if there was a god, he'd cut me some slack.
Anyhoo, that experience has always been one my favorites. So there is a definite sense of time passing with Pope John Paul II's death.
9:08:29 PM 
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