Reflecting on Boston

I just wanted to share something my dad wrote reflecting on the tragedy at the Boston Marathon yesterday:

So what do we do now?

We still don’t know who set the bombs. Or why. But we do know this—no marathon can ever be safe. Twenty-six miles. Thousands of runners. Hundreds of thousands of spectators. If every TSA agent in the world had descended on Boston this morning, they couldn’t have prevented it.

Evil is like that. It only takes one twisted mind, one person who thrives on the suffering of others, and suffering will follow.

So what do we do? We pray for the victims and their families. We honor them and the heroes who helped the injured. We hunt down the person or persons responsible. We vow not to let this stop us from pushing ourselves to our limit and experiencing the joy of honest hard-work and achievement.

I could never qualify for Boston, but I do love to run. When my mind gets stuck and I need creativity, or when I’m frustrated and need to pray, or when I just want to drink in all that life has to offer, I’ve always had one sure-fire elixir. I strap on the shoes, set my Garmin, and take off.

The lungs fill, the endorphins flow, the sweat drips, and the world seems right again.

They can’t stop that. They can’t stop us. We will mourn and heal and ask questions for which there are no easy answers, but we’ll be back. They can’t make us stop doing the things that help bring us life.

So what do we do now?

I don’t know about you. But I’m going for a run.

Comments

  1. Kati from Kati's QuiltingApril 16, 2013 at 8:43 PM

    Good for him! I'm just getting back to "running" (some people would probably call it jogging, but it's def. a running to me!)after a hiatus. Thank you for sharing his thoughts, it's inspiring and something to think about!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kati from Kati's QuiltingApril 20, 2013 at 7:50 AM

    And now I just finished reading all your blog posts. Good for you! Your thoughts and experiences are really inspiring! I am a lone runner, too, I don't like to keep up with people, or chat while running, but rather focus on my breathing. Biking I can't do by myself I like company on that one :)

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