Pope Pius XII

The plate in this photo is from Belgium. I found it on the ground in a street market in Brussels after a Quaker meeting George and I went to. I said: Oh my god, this is Pope Pius, my cousin! What is he doing here?

My grandmother, my father’s mother who died in childbirth in Italy, was a cousin to Pope Pius XII. I collected Pope Pius XII souvenirs, even though he was so controversial, for years and gave them to my dad while he was still living. This was one of the ways I made amends to him. My Al-Anon program helped me.

I have a Pope Pius XII crystal, a bust, paper weight, a copper plate, and articles written about him in the newspapers. The pope even looks like my dad!

I also made non-verbal amends to my dad by showing him how much I loved him. I kissed him on the nose- and he had a big nose- and hugged him. He was not demonstrative, yet he never pushed me away when I kissed and hugged him. 

#asbonnieseesit

#willingtobecomereal