When I went out in search of teen-agers to interview at the youth rally today, I couldn't help but notice a mom, standing over her two sons and looking out into the crowd. I walked over to her and we started talking. After all these years, it still amazes me that people are willing to talk to a stranger with a notebook in her hand, pouring their hearts out in some cases.
This mom, Mary Anne Scattaretico-Naber, who happens to be a judge in Yonkers City Court, told me that she brought her two sons -- Joseph, 15, and Christian , 13 -- to see the pope because she was hoping they would "get some inspiration from it" as they struggle to cope of the death of their grandmother not long ago.
Her younger son was crying that very day, she said. It's a very difficult time, and they were especially close with their grandmother, who lived with them and was part of their everyday lives.
So here was this mom, standing in a dusty field while her two teen-age boys stretched out on a blanket in the sun, hoping that the pope's words or maybe just his presence would help heal her family.
-- Mary DeTurris Poust
