They Are There for One Man

24 hours.
That's the amount of time some people faced waiting in lines to catch only a brief glimpse of the body of Pope John Paul II.
Pilgrims slept in the streets when the lines were closed over night, and sang and prayed in line. And once inside the Basilica, there was silence.
Reverance for the man whose death brought more than 1 million to pass him yesterday and another 2 today and tomorrow. A man who an estimated 2 to 3 million Polish country men and women boarded trains, planes and buses to pay their respects at his funeral Friday. A man where more than 200 heads of state, including Fidel Castro, will attend his funeral.
I am awe struck at the photos and video coming from the Vatican and around the world this week. Who knew one man could stir the world like he did?
While everyone didn't agree with what he said, I don't know any one who didn't respect him. One who stood up for his beliefs and took them to the world like few others evagelizing. Yes fellow Catholics, he was one of the great evangelizers of our time. He went to the corners of the world to tell of his love for God and made sure everyone from the rich to the poor heard his message.
I feel lucky to be alive at this time. To be a witness to the life of a great man. And to watch the millions who dropped what they were doing and went to Rome and the Vatican just for those few seconds to see the small man dressed in blood red vestments who changed the world.