Yesterday was one of those days that you can’t even express with words. It was painful, traumatizing, and terrifying. Whether you knew someone running or were just out trying to boost the morale of the Boston Marathon runners, the tragic bombings are something that you will likely never be able to forget. My thoughts and prayers go out to all who were affected by this tragedy.
The Boston College Campus School Volunteers are incredibly proud of their hardworking and dedicated Marathon Committee, and there are always hundreds of BC students who raise funds for the Campus School by running the Boston Marathon. Once these attacks occurred, the volunteers at the Campus School knew we had to try and reach all of our runners through any way possible. This was obviously difficult, especially once the phone lines were out of service. We went to Facebook and Twitter and started posting statuses and sharing Google Drives in hopes that someone would be able to account for a runner. Within minutes, these messages were shared, liked, commented on, and retweeted. My inbox was filled with people looking for friends, letting us know people were safe, and asking if there was any way they could help. These search efforts stretched into the night, but the helped never ceased.
This type of event is outrageous. We will never truly understand it, and we will never be able to explain it. However, it is not fair to live life with a defeated mindset. After the incident, I was walking towards the Reservoir. I saw an older man, who still wore his number, jogging. We smiled at each other, and I asked him how he was. He told me he still had one more lap to go, and he will have completed 26.2. “Sometimes you have to just keep going,” he told me, as he jogged away smiling.
With that, I think it is important to remember the good things in life, even when times are bad. Although BC has its flaws, there is one thing that outweighs them all, and that was shown yesterday. BC truly is a school filled with men and women for others. We may not be perfect, but we sure know how to step up and help when others are in need. There is really nothing we can do to make this tragic event better, but little things do make it easier. Whether it was by sharing a status on Facebook or checking in with a friend who was struggling, there were signs of love all over campus yesterday. Small acts such as these remind me why I love this school.
We continue to pray for those affected and hope that those who are responsible for this event will be held accountable for their actions, but while we do this, we will stand together. We will work as a community to grow and feel safe again. We will do this with love. We will continue to care for one another.
So, thank you, BC.
Photo Sources:
http://24.media.tumblr.com/685c050c4382855bb0b1d5e01e039c0c/tumblr_mlbelb9RM71qbh26io1_500.jpg