This will probably be the most serious yet joyful post I’ll ever write. I actually am struggling with what to title it. The title that you just read was determined when I dotted the last sentence of this post.

One title that came to mind was “Deb’s Confession” but that puts a negative connotation to it.  That probably came to mind because I am writing about something I’ve hinted at, but never came right out and said.

I’ll start at the beginning. About 4 years ago I was very sick. I was so frail that my husband had to lift my body out of the tub. (Just like my Mom told me, have a clean body & underwear if you’re going to the doctor.)  I spent 5 days in the hospital. The first few days occurred in a haze. Sometime during that haze I had a “hic-up in time”. I cannot pinpoint the exact time that the “Aha” moment occurred: I just left the hospital knowing that something about me was different. The best way I can explain it is that there was a moment in the haze where I actually felt my spirit and body as two separate things, almost looking at each other.

By my definition this was not what is considered a NDE (Near Death Experience). I didn’t experience the things that other people report (I wish I had), but having researched the topic I’ve learned that I left the hospital with their shared perspective.

Up until this time I had not solidified my spiritual beliefs. I hadn’t really thought about it in great depth. After my “hic-up” I was coming at the world with a new perspective and reflected back on the religious teachings that I had received. I asked myself, “Deb, what do you really BELIEVE?” I suddenly had an urgency I’d never felt before in 60+ years. I had to identify my spiritual (not religious) beliefs.

What I cannot explain is, like the tablets of Moses, it was suddenly written out for me. It was like some great voice from above said, “Duh!” There was a clarity that I’d never had before.

I acknowledged that there is an equal spirit in everyone. (Equal being the key word). Not that I ever meant to give value to people, but I now saw them equally and looked for their spirit. Different but equal.

I remember when, about two years ago, I was walking through my house. As I passed the TV I saw a young man speaking on a local cable channel. He had cerebral palsy and the production of the show was of lower quality. The “old” me would have just kept walking. Instead, I stopped and looked into the eyes of the man speaking, hoping to glimpse his spirit. There it was! Saying, “I’m in here and I’m doing the best I can with this body. I may need a little help.”  The subject of the show was to promote legislation creating more handicapped accessibility.  They got my vote!

We share the planet at this time with every spirit globally.  Not every spirit lands in a body or location that is ideal. I lucked out. ..this time.

Another striking change has been the awareness of my personal presence globally. I share the Earth with every other person that exists. I am blessed to live this “run through” in a perfect place. I am surrounded by the beauty of nature and peace. More than ever before, I embrace it. I am responsible to keep it beautiful. It does not end and go away when each of us die. It is our responsibility to maintain and improve it for future generations.  If what I believe is correct, we’ll all be coming back again as those future generations. Who knows where we’ll land? It’s this perspective that causes the anger in me when I hear about the destruction of historical & religious monuments by ISIS. Because of them, those pieces of History (mankind’s history) won’t be there when I return. They’re like bullies that break everyone’s toys so nobody can have them.

I became extremely sensitive to worldly events. The horror of what we (I) were witnessing just didn’t make sense. I found myself screaming at the TV and feeling more adamant about speaking out.

Then, this past June I was persuaded to start a Blog.  I have million funny tales to tell and that’s what I thought the posts would be. (Thanks Joan, Deb and Jordana for encouraging me). But I soon discovered that I felt compelled to write about the wrongs of the world. I could see that we were approaching a turn in the road that we simply must take if we are going to right these wrongs.  I wouldn’t say I was driven to sculpt the Vatican from mashed potatoes, but it was ever present in me and I put those surges in posts.

Now to today. The Pope…what a guy! Can you imagine my excitement when this special person that has global clout and the ear of the world started saying the very same things that had been screaming inside me? He has been heard (and they HEARD him) by the governments and religions of the entire world. If change is to happen, we will never have a better opportunity. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we are participants in one of the most compassionate turns in History.

I am not going to continue to give a play-by-play of the Pope’s visit because he is creating mini-miracles continuously. More than once I thought about how his presence and receptions are similar to scenes from John Huston’s movie The Bible. The messages are exactly the same. Now, can we do it right this time?

There will be a pall over the country when he leaves tomorrow. As with anyone that stirs the senses, you hate to see them leave and feel a void for a while. We must realize that he is truly the World’s Pope. That good feeling that he gives everyone, is ours for the taking. He’s not gone, just in a different neighborhood. His core fire is great enough to keep our flames ignited.  He proved that. And besides, it’s not like he’s on a different planet!

There was a moment yesterday that I felt inadequate in his “call to arms”. It then quickly came to me that I can do what God intends and make a positive difference. I will take ownership of my surroundings and the people in them. I will see the spirits in others and respect them as equals. I will do what I can to give help when needed. I will not contribute to the destruction of the planet. I will respect and take care of my plot of earth for the rest of you.

It will be interesting to watch the news shift to the political fiasco. The level of maturity will probably drop to an all-time low.

But, the playing field has changed.  And it will be interesting to see how often the message of the Pope comes into play.

You see…the Golden Rule…a LOT of people got “it”.

Before I talk about today’s events, I MUST address John Boehner’s resignation as Speaker of the House. This is a man that holds one of the highest powers in the greatest country on Earth. There is no doubt in my mind that this is fallout from the Pope’s visit.

I actually was going to write something yesterday about Boehner’s emotional breakdown while in the presence of Francis. My eyes kept going to Boehner who was to the left and behind the Pope. He was holding back an explosion of emotion. I know that feeling when the rush of emotion is like a tsunami pushing to break out.  I’d say he got “it”.

Today, when he was asked if the Pope’s visit was a factor in his decision to resign, he replied “no”. In the same news conference he later said his decision had basis in “The Golden Rule.”

This morning Pope Francis visited and spoke before the General Assembly of the United Nations. It was the same message…take care of the poor, take care of the planet and contribute to the betterment of other human beings. He touched on war, persecution, drug trafficking , greediness and just about everything that we need to acknowledge and correct.

At the 911 Monument he shared the stage with the leaders of 11 different organized religions. They each prayed from their individual doctrines, and the unanimous request was the Golden Rule.

I listened to and watched the Pope’s address to a joint session of Congress this morning. I actually felt my spirit surge when he directed everyone to follow the “Golden Rule”. I yelped and cried. Man, did I call that one or what!!! It spooked me.

The icing on the cake was when the first words out of the mouth of the female commentator for CNN were, “They get it.”, referring to anyone listening. Yikes!!!

When he walked out on the Capital balcony after his speech there were tens of thousands of people waiting outside. The image of the “Sermon on the Mountain” came to my mind. (Which, by the way, is where the Golden Rule was introduced)  Only instead of bread & fishes, the miracle would have been creating enough portable phone charges for the masses. We do after all have Jimmy Johns.

I am not implying that Pope Frances is the second coming of Christ. I personally do not believe that he is. But, he is wise and he is special. What he is saying  is the fundamental basis for the majority of Organized Religions. His spirit is strong and he has the charisma and knowledge of a veteran soul.  He says it in a way that momentarily makes us think and feel the way we should always think and feel.

I am totally psyched for his speech to the United Nations Assembly. I believe he will keep repeating the same messages because they are basic and apply to every human being no matter where on our planet they live.

He is sparking fires in peoples souls…he’s sparked one in mine.

I hope and pray that, when the giddiness goes away, the fires keep burning. We cannot let his message become just the “story of the week”, replaced with Trump vs Fox becoming more important. Now is time for change and I think it’s possible. Let us accept that we can be the lucky ones to be part of a major compassionate turn in History.

I believe his core fire may be strong enough to keep the embers in each of our souls burning. I’ll keep soaking up any of his visit that I can.

For those of you that regularly read my posts (both of you) I am again approaching this post with the spiritual perspective.

I am truly looking forward to the Pope’s visit. Not with the normal Catholic view of his role in the Catholic Church but with the hopes he becomes the World’s Pope. I’m hoping that he can say “It” so that many more people “get It”. The IT I’m referring to is the Golden Rule. ..basically how humans treat each other.

His messages focus on poverty, the environment, religious freedom and the refugees of the world. The solutions to all these problems come only from the citizens of the Earth joining forces to cause change..

I believe there are spirits that have “been around the block” a few times. They know what the ultimate goal is, and they come back stronger each time to make the planet better and closer to our goal. They get “It” and try to spread the word. There are many of these veterans trying to change the world. The majority of these people are all around us and making  small but worthwhile changes. One such person is Mary Jo Copeland who has dedicated her life to helping the poor citizens of the Twin Cities since 1985. Our own Mother Theresa.

The Pope on the other hand has a voice that will be heard by the entire world at one time. He will speak before both the US Congress and the UN in the next few days. It takes the right veteran spirit, in the right position and the right time & place to explain “It”.

As I’ve told my kids, “I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.” It takes the right person saying it in a certain way that makes the lightbulb go on. I believe that Pope Frances is that person. It will be a joy to watch him in action.