Remembering the Marathon Bombing

Today I am remembering the Marathon bombing, almost a year ago. In the space of one week the bombing happened, my long term relationship ended, and the city was on lockdown. I suddenly felt very isolated in my own life, but connected to everyone by the thread of shared tragedy. In America we seldom experience such random and widespread devastation first hand. We only see it in the news in other parts of the world. It caused many people to reassess their lives because we realized how fragile and fleeting it could be.

Today I am meditating and praying for more compassion and peace in the world. It is a privilege to take it for granted that we can go out in masses with our families and celebrate athletic achievement at a world famous event, and even participate in it without fear, and without worry. We should be grateful that most of the time on Marathon Monday, our greatest concern is chilly gray weather, and the late coming of Spring, not weapons of mass destruction that might take our lives, our loved ones, and maim and destroy our bodies and our infrastructure within seconds.

For a few days we were forced to look beyond our own little microcosms and ponder the meaning of life, not just for ourselves but for others in the world who live with the threat of terrorism daily. Sometimes new life rises out of the ashes. What seems like the end is really a new beginning, a new era of compassion, and a new awareness to our connection to all of humanity.