L'Chaim Boston!


I keep reading other people's blogs, and posts about the tragedy in Boston.  As others go, so I feel should I.  This blog especially in the last year, has taken on some form of life and so there is a commitment to keep the content and the discussion going.

It struck me hard.  On my way back to Fort Lauderdale, taking that bus to Logan one last time, I had a few hours till my flight.  I checked in and left my big suitcase in Delta's hands and then I went into Boston.  Was walking around that area, and was within just a few blocks where the bomb went off.  My flight was delayed, turned out

by 30 minutes, but what if it had been cancelled?  Today, I sit here comfortable at home.  The thoughts keep running through my mind is how close I was, and I could have been there, as so many to watch these athletes run.

I sit here also with this feeling, similar to 9/11.  It is not fair to be honest to compare one groups horror to another.  The idea of standing on a sidewalk and then in a moments flash your life either perishes, your body is harmed beyond repair, or you watch a loved one perish is not like any other.  But, the feeling of I had been there.

That there are friends in Boston that I needed to track down, and assure they are safe, their kids, their family are all safe is a feeling that repeats in my heart.  I went through this during the Earthquake in San Francisco, but had IBM to watch over me, and was there looking for a way to get home.

We do live in a wonderful country.  Boston is a resilient city, strong, heart of our country's heritage, and will bounce back.  There will be many more marathons and these people I am sure will be remembered.  The police, emergency, doctors and nurses, firemen, and race volunteers will all be honored for their heroism.   Not to mention some of the best hospitals in the world working together to save as many lives as possible through quick response.

We live in a wonderful country where these occurrences are rare.  That a person or group plans, uses, and deploys terror in a crowd is rare.  Whomever these people are they won't stop next years marathon, they won't hurt the principles this country was founded and continues to evolve.  They won't stop a freedom founded city from continuing to prosper.  They will assure greater security at future events, they will assure that increased safety will be implemented without impinging on the freedoms this city was founded on, who can forget the Boston Tea Party focused on assuring the future freedom of this country.

As one of the Boston Newscasters said, this was an act of cowardliness   We don't know who  did this horrific act or why.  We just know that a coward dropped bombs in trash cans and left the scene to leave innocent people to deal with a horrific moment that will last in all of our lives.

It does remind me we should remind ourselves of the freedoms we take for granite and assure we can maintain them.  It also is a moment to think about other countries in the recent past that have had to deal with acts of terror such as this and we should all learn more compassion together.

Walking the beach this morning, I remember a quote from Golda Meir.  "We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.”      I believe this is true of all people who commit terror such as yesterday, and makes me wonder how we make sure people learn to love their children more than they hate their enemies.

L'Chaim (To Life)!

Brian

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