Saddened

Yesterday's bombing of the Boston Marathon...what can I say that hasn't already been said and likely said better?  It was tragic, and I am horrified by the inhumanity of the act.  It leaves me fearful not for America's future, but for the future of humanity itself.  That people can disregard human life and commit such heartless acts for whatever reason is incredibly distressing.  Perhaps even depressing.

Yet, my hope for humankind is rekindled by acts of heroism. The first responders and the bystanders who ran to help instead of simply running away deserve all the accolades we can give them.  The story of Carlos Arredondo was one of the first I heard.

"My first reaction was to run toward the people," he said. "There was so much commotion and a lot of people running away. I was one of the first to help people and God protected me. It was horrific." (Article by Susan Donaldson James)  

I'm sure in the days to come we'll hear more of these types of stories.  While I'll likely never meet any of these brave souls, I'd still like to thank them all for their selflessness.  Their willingness to put themselves in harms way, to risk injury to themselves, is humbling.  I'd like to think I'd make a similar move, but the truth is, unless someone I knew and loved was in that immediate area, I'd probably be running as far and fast in the opposite direction as I could.

So...

Dear first responder, thank you.

Dear selfless bystander who ran toward the chaos instead of away from it, thank you.

I'd also like to extend my appreciation to the police officers, firefighters, EMTs, National Guard members, doctors, nurses, and federal agents who rose to the challenge and are still working to save lives and solve the mystery of who did this and why.  Thank you.  Thank you all.