Tuesday, April 16, 2013

My Love to Boston

Hi folks,

My post today was going to be something decidedly upbeat.  That will be put aside until tomorrow, since as I write this I can't help but feel sadness and bewilderment at what has happened today in Boston.

My great-grandfather lived in Boston and it is like a second home to me.  As all serious Boston shoppers know, the area where the Boston Marathon finishes is in the heart of a lovely shopping district and I spent quite a bit of time there last summer when we visited in July.


Boston is a great city and is a resilient old bird.  But these senseless acts of violence are just so awful and they make us feel powerless.  But we are not.  Tonight I am sending my love to Boston, tomorrow, a donation to the Red Cross.  Small things, but they make me feel better and as one of my favourite Canadians, Bruce Cockburn, has written so aptly: we have to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight..."

So I am kicking!  Really and truly: stay safe out there and much love!

23 comments:

  1. I just keep reminding myself that there is more good than bad in this world. There just has to be.

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  2. I was all ready to put up a reviews post after a dozen days of no updates at my blog but I'm just not in the mood now. From going through the news I also read about the tragic things captured on film and smuggled out showing what really goes on in North Korea. It's all so horrifying I'm in tears but must keep remembering every bit of good helps to drive out the bad. Will do more good this week and am also sending a virtual hug to all ...

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    1. Hi Tiffany ROse - it is so easy to feel dark when we have days like this, isn't it? I am so worried about North Korea, and all I can do it send my posive energy out to the universe. i do truly believe that helps - it got me through some dark times last fall and this winter, so i am taking that virtual hug and sending it right back at you!

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  3. Yes, there MUST be more good than bad, there must be... Just sometimes it is hard to see it... Take care

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    1. steph, there is and how people are responding shows that!

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  4. I woke up to this having gone to bed without seeing the news last night, so shocking, so senseless, Tiffany, I watched the documentary about North Korea last night, there's still so much poverty, hunger and suffering in the world.

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    1. yes, i am really thinking of north korea these days and how the poor people really live. and then i think of south korea and their daily fears as well. just awful...

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  5. So awful... I heard about in a cab on the way to work this morning.
    There is so much evil in the world. But I truly believe there is more good.

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  6. There were a lot of heroic acts in the midst of this violence. I know this area very well, have been to the marathon which is usually a festive occasion. We all must cling to the good.

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    1. I agree Lane - I am always so moved by the people who run to the chaos, first responders and common folks alike

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  7. I do believe love and beauty and goodness is overwhelmingly in the majority. When something horrific does happen it is all the more jarring.

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    1. I agree. Bostonians are so strong, and they love their city with an overwhelming passion!

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  8. So tragic and evil. We have stayed in Copley Square many times in the last few years, so we know it well. Thank God that our police/FBI teams were able to uncover and detonate the other bombs. Unimaginable.

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    1. I know - it is so shocking - we get complacent and when it hits close to home, it is doubly shocking!

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  9. I rememember one of the "famous" marathon runners a few years ago (no idea who now) talking about the beautiful changes of scenery along the route, the compact sense of the city's history, and the warmth of people's support and enthusiasm for the event. The clip closed with him saying something about feeling happier each time he enters the Boston Marathon, regardless of the finish line results. I am clinging to that today. The race finish line was very familiar to me in college and earlier work days.

    As Ghandi said when he despaired, "the way of truth and love have always won." Although it is hard in the face of such senseless tragedy and documentaries like the brave Panorama North Korea expose to keep that faith.

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    1. I hear you! Today, I am really working to keep that faith and know that good does triumph, but my goodness, it is hard sometimes!

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  10. I have such a heavy heart since yesterday. As an ex-Bostonian, this is a community that I lived in, contributed to, learned in, walked with my then boyfriend and now husband discovering all the places he had enjoyed growing up. My in-laws are there, and so are thousands of other innocent bystanders who have been tragically shaken up. It all seems so senseless, and I am still trying to work out the events in my mind. Marathon weekend was also the first weekend a several years ago that I set foot in Boston, scoping it out as a prospective city to live in when I got admitted to graduate school, so this hits me on a personal level, but not nearly as personal as the people who were there and are still suffering. I feel angry, I feel despaired but more than anything, I feel that I cannot allow myself to be taken over by my emotions when much work needs to be done to rebuild this community.
    My apologies for the somber comment, I am hoping to absorb the faith you ladies are radiating. I think I just need time.

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    1. Well it is hard, isn't it? I sure hear you and it is hard to comprehend this magnitude of tragedy, isn't it? We just heard that folks we know were 40 feet from the blast. They were not personally hurt, but they had to help people with terrible injuries and they are very scarred by it.

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  11. Wendy thanks for your post on this day when it's so difficult to know what to say.

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  12. Thank you for this lovely post Wendy. I've been out of town, and this really weighed heavily on me. So much senseless violence that just seems to be escalating. I don't know what to see either.

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Kindness is a virtue...