Climbing the stairs to my room at the hotel in Rome I pass a woman who smells like baby powder. I remember the soft cradle caps of my children. How appropriate, as we leave the chaotic beauty of Rome and head to the countryside. We're going to a place where Saint Francis created the first Creche and Nativity scene to explain to the people about Jesus' birth.
Last night we talked with someone who works at the Vatican. He spoke about what it's like to be in his position. When Pope Benedict XVI learned how to tweet, he is shown in a picture in Time Magazine bending over a computer encircled by staff. Our presenter from last night was among them. He told the story of a sweet man, (Benedict), which is not my opinion of the retired pope, because media reports during his papacy gave me a view of a person whose agenda was not in line with my beliefs.
That said, here's what I'm thinking today as we continue our journey. In a time when we are left to our own devices on social media, it's difficult to judge what is truth. Our opinions supersede facts and we see others only by what we want to believe is true. It has become a main ingredient in the divisive nature of our world today.
Leaving Rome, the Vatican, the crowds, the hills, ruins, and heading toward the softness of a hillside where cow bells and the baa of sheep ring out instead of sirens, I welcome a new perspective on our world and remember that another mother long ago cradled the head of her child never realizing the power of his presence in the world.
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