Close the book

Just watched the 4 AM coverage of the papal funeral, and found myself quite moved, both by John Paul's life (whether I agreed with him or not) and by the incredibly diverse people who were in attendance to see him cross into the next world. I was simply astounded at the amount of nationalities represented... the whole world had come together to celebrate the life of one man, and the whole thing reeked of an unfamiliar smell nowadays:

Sincerity.

My favorite moment was a small one. On top of the pope's simple wooden casket was a book of the gospels. It was an incredibly windy day in Rome, the winds sweeping over the people. The red robes of the cardinals billowed in the breeze, and the pages of the gospels were turning themselves on John Paul's casket, as though he were flipping through them from heaven. Then, suddenly, by no hand of man, the book blew itself shut, closing the book on his life.

A very windy day, indeed...