I am proud to call myself a Bostonian. Yesterday's tribute and services were filled with grace, Truth, dignity, honesty and integrity. I cried as the rain poured and the wind howled as the day wore on but nothing could dampen the spirits of Boston to commemorate and celebrate our strength and resilience as individuals and as a community.
We shared photos and thoughts on Facebook and Twitter as we had one year ago to come together as a community both in real life and in cyberspace. I could feel how the cloud of trauma that blanketed our hearts and our city had dissipated and now is a time to continue moving forward in healing and hope.
Most of the survivors continue to face a long and arduous road of rehabilitation and it is a lifelong journey now. I know what it means to experience a lifelong journey of rehabilitation although certainly not to the extent that many of the survivors face. My life was forever changed in a moment when I contracted paralytic polio at the age of 5 followed by years of unrelenting trauma.
As Adrianne Haslet-Davis so poignantly stated during the tribute at the Hynes Convention Center, Life can go horribly, horrifically wrong in a matter of seconds but it's up to us to make every second count thereafter and believe me they do count.
So now we move from the one year anniversary to countdown to Marathon Monday. I have so many emotions in the mix right now. Part of me wants to wake up on 4/22 knowing all of my dear friends have crossed the finish line safely and accomplished whatever it is they wanted and needed to accomplish on Monday. Part of me is excited to see the race especially after reading articles about the elite athletes and seeing Shalene Flanagan on 60 Minutes.
I know that all I can do is ride the waves of emotions, continue doing what I do day in and day out and experience this most unique time in the history of the Boston Marathon.
Today John Hancock asked the question "What does #weruntogether mean to you --
#weruntogether also means #wehealtogether we find our strength together and uphold each other when we are not feeling so strong. #weruntogether also means that whether we run or are spectators and support crew, each of us is an integral thread of the tapestry that woven together makes us Boston Strong!
One year later we are a picture of strength and a message of hope!
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