The recent tragedy in Boston has hit the nation pretty hard.
I find myself hiding from social media in some cases and drawn to it for
information in others. I can’t bear to watch the news most of the time.
I have thought back to the tragic events of 9.11 many times
in the last several days. I’m so grateful that I was young and carefree in
those days and didn't have to explain that to my children. But, I won’t escape
that this time.
We live just a few hours north of the City of Boston. We
love that city, my kids can relate to that city. It’s where they saw their
first Sox-Yanks game, went to the “big aquarium”, cheered for their beloved
Bruins and my youngest first fell in love with the idea of the duck boat. So, when they hear about a tragedy in Boston
they pay attention.
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| The photo on the left is my oldest son's first Sox-Yanks game and the right his first Bruin's game. Boston Proud! |
I was forced to tell them that something had happened to one
of their favorite cities on Monday night.
“Mom the Bruins game starts soon, I have to make sure I know the score
to tell Dad when he gets home,” said my oldest.
“Ummm, there was some kind of accident, they had to postpone
the game,” I said.
These kids are hockey kids. They know you don’t just cancel
a game for no reason. They begged to turn on the TV, to call their dad. They
wanted to know what happened. I couldn’t
let them see the tragedy unfold, I couldn’t let them see that horror and I had
heard rumors that a sweet little boy was one of the victims that didn’t
survive.
I couldn’t let my kids see that tragedy had happened to
someone so small, someone so close to their age. Especially in light of the
fact that my son had just experienced a similar tragedy so close to home.
I wrote in my blog a month or so ago about a tragedy in our
home town. One of my son’s classmates passed away after a very tragic accident.
Breaking that news to my kids and the ensuing emotions and confusion were so
difficult for him, and for our community. In the past week he’d had a hard time
understanding the difference between his classmate not returning to school and
his teacher being on maternity leave. A lot of confusing emotion for a 7 and 5
year old to process so close to home. For them see tragedy on television would
create more confusion and perhaps fear.
Here I am today, confused as an adult. Watching the City of
Boston on complete lockdown, this city that has been home to such happiness for
me and my family, is scary and confusing for sure. I sat in silence after my
alarm went off this morning as I watched a family and their young children
escorted out of their home in their pajamas. I felt sorry for them, yet
grateful that my little girl was cooing in the next room and that my boys were
both enjoying April Vacation sleepovers with friends.
Again, social media plays a role in my roller coaster of
emotions. I see people commenting on news feeds-‘what is this world coming to?’-‘what
a horrible world we live in’-‘what an awful time in which to raise our children’.
I suppose it’s difficult not to think or say these things
when we’re watching an unprecedented man-hunt through the streets of one of
America’s major cities.
Throughout the week, though, I’ve had to switch that
mindset. Because if I really look around and take in what I’m hearing, reading,
seeing. There are some truly amazing things taking place. Without a doubt,
humanity at its very best, has been on display this week.
Runners, by-standers, first responders, pro-athletes-young
and old have come together. They’ve helped one another in ways big and small.
Hearts, minds, prayers have all been sent out to the victims of this terrible
tragedy.
I’ve heard people say that it takes a tragedy to make this
goodwill a reality. I challenge that. Goodwill is around us every day,
everywhere you go. Tragedy makes us keenly aware. But, it’s always there.
My community has rallied with one another during and after
our recent tragedy and we’ll continue to do so. It’s a memory, a feeling that
we’ll always share. The take-away is
that there is goodness alive and well-ALWAYS.
I know that my kids are growing up in a different world then
I did, certainly. 24-hour news media, social media and cell phones make scary
images and news feeds of tragedy much more accessible and it’s definitely more
difficult for parents to filter that information. It’s something that we have
to learn to navigate as parents, for sure.
But, there really are some really amazing people in this
world, in America, in Boston and in my hometown. My children will have opportunities to reach
more people and touch more people than I have in my lifetime. They will do good
things and they will have good things done for them.
My faith in humanity is still strong.
I found this terrific quote today and it’s something that I
will share with my family tonight. I hope you will too.
“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean;
if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”
Mahatma Gandhi
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| Photo Courtesy: Reuters Boston Strong |
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