Barack Obama

But I keep my favorite, the big one of their first Inaugural Dance, on top of the upright piano, under a big sepia print of Murillo's 'Sistine Madonna and Child'.

There's a story to that picture also. Supposedly the print was made by Matthew Brady himself, at least according to the family that donated it to the Catholic church I was attending at one time. Most of that family were gone or dispersed, and when someone started to redecorate the room it had been in, they put it in a closet with other items destined for the trash!

Every week before Mass I had to go and visit that picture, so I went flying to Fr. wanting to know what had happened. When we found out, he knew the culprit was someone who disapproved of liberal Catholics and would raise all kinds of hell if I was found with the picture; so here's what he said to me to fix everything:

"****, that's a real antique donated to the Church and does not belong to the person planning to dispose of it. However, since I don't have authority myself to outright give or even sell it to you, here's what we'll do. You and your heirs in perpetuity are hereby appointed its guardians. If anyone from the donating family notices it missing and complains, you'll have to bring it back."

With that he wrapped his coat around the picture to conceal it completely and carried it out to the car for me.