Joy and Spring Return to Boston -- "And this time next year..."

It has been a long, cold, cruel New England winter. We thought Spring would never arrive. We thought our hearts and souls would never begin to experience the warmth that Spring brings or that our broken hearts would heal. It seemed like flowers would not bloom again and that the snow and ice would never melt.

But today in real time and on my Facebook feed, there are signs of healing and moving forward. I went on a 5.7 mile run and did about a 15+ minute pace as I train for the Tufts 10K in October. What an amazing day. The Reservoir is melted. The geese were swimming. The birds sang sweet and clear. Runners wearing their race day singlets for their chosen charity were out in force. I felt wonderful in my body running next to my life and running partner Tom. I shouted out to runners we passed, "Good luck a week from Monday."

Tomorrow we join the Merrimack Valley Striders for Packet Stuffing Day. Here are some photos from yesterday and today's packet stuffing days:



and a pic of this year's volunteer jacket:



My dear friend David Brown who brought such joy to running on Beacon Street posted his number which someone stuffed into a packet yesterday:


Sports Illustrated invited Bostonians to be a part of a cover photo shoot. What a contrast to the cover one year ago picturing 3 police officers running to assist a runner on the ground and chaos, desolation and destruction along Boylston Street.

This compilation comes from Twitter that says: A New Day in Boston


There are hashtags for #bostonstronger now!

And here is a video of the photo shoot:


Here are some photos my Facebook friends posted:





There are many more photos from my friends that capture a sense of play and joy like this one



and that reflect resilience and triumph as over 3,000 Bostonians returned to Boylston Street and the Finish Line just a few days before the one year anniversary of 4/15/13.

One of the businesses on Boylston Street most profoundly affected by the bombings was The Forum who posted this on Facebook today:

Dear friends,

April 15th, 2013 was a date that forever changed our lives and scarred our city. A date that certainly made history, not because of the criminal intents of some, but because of the remarkable show of strength and resilience of our community. In the aftermath, FORUM was inundated with an outpour of love, support and encouragement, in messages from people all over the world. It gave us the strength needed to rebuild and reopen our business, four long months later.

Today, nearly a year has passed since last Marathon, and with that time, wounds have begun healing. While the City prepares for this year’s Marathon, words simply cannot describe the feelings of anticipation shared by many of us. We are forever grateful for the true heroes in our beloved city, those who risk their lives to selflessly protect and serve us.

To express the true extent of our appreciation, on Tuesday April 15th, 2014, FORUM will donate 100% of the day’s sales to the The One Fund Boston, the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, the Boston Firefighters Credit Union's Lt. Walsh and FF Kennedy Memorial Fund.

We invite you all to join us at FORUM in this day of tribute and remembrance. We will never break. Together, we are Boston Strong.

And this time next year....we are here now poised to both commemorate the tragic events of 4/15/13 and anticipate the running of the 118th Boston Marathon. We will continue to need to heal as we move through these next 9 days and beyond but what a wonderful day to experience that joy and Spring return to Boston and we are Boston Stronger!