Leach's Lists: Innocence Lost At The Boston Marathon
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As the news broke of the frightening bombing at the Boston Marathon on Monday, my heart dropped. I lived near the Boston area and know that Marathon Day, which is run on a Massachusetts State holiday (Patriots Day), is one of the most pure and unifying days in any city in this country. People from all over the world bring friends and family to run the marathon, and celebrate the best life has to offer.
Today, that jubilation, happiness in its purest form, was lost. A mad person(s) ripped that away from us, and so many, that never would have thought twice that one of the nation's greatest events was unsafe. We live in an open society, and along with that great freedom comes the chance that people can get hurt at events like todays. As scary as that thought can be, we can never let that deter us from celebrating and attending these wonderful events that define our country.
I had two good friends, Brandon and Karissa Davis, who made the trip from Michigan, realizing a lifelong dream to run the Boston Marathon. They trained for months, had every detail covered, but never would have thought that just minutes before finishing the race, the horrific bombing would happen. It was late into the night before I found out they were OK. They never finished the race, but that became such an afterthought after what transpired. There are literally thousands of more stories like theirs all over the Boston area tonight and sadly a few that won't end as well.
I always try to look at the best in what humanity has to offer and it takes a lot to knock me off that perch. Today, I was tested. It just boggles my mind that there are people out there that just want to cause chaos and destruction. I will always have faith and belief that humanity is inherently good, and that the sick people that cause destruction and spew hate are few and far between. What is becoming hard to stomach is the frequency of these abhorrent events.
We do live in an open and free society in America, and as a result of that, these so-called soft targets are ripe for the attacking. What I don't want to ever see is Americans being scared to go to a life lasting experience like the Boston Marathon, or go to a football or a baseball game with their children without worrying that they could get hurt. That thought alone is tremendously troubling and sad. It is yet another reason why we need to show that unbelievable strength that we as American's have over and over again. That is why I will never stop seeing the best we have to offer, even on days like this when my heart is truly tested.
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