It is difficult to comprehend how in one instant, a celebration turned into a catastrophe.
The vibrant and busy city of Boston, Massachusetts took on a very somber face after two bombs exploded near the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon at 2:50 PM. Three lives were lost to the explosions – Martin Richard, 8; Krystle Campbell, 29; Lingzi Lu, 23 – and many others injured.
Sanah Faroke, a student at Boston University reflects on her initial reactions of this incident: “When I first found out about the explosions, I didn’t think it was so bad.” Only after her best friend texted her, concerned about her safety, did she begin to realize the severity of what was unraveling.
“It was one update after the other…Everything was in chaos. I didn’t know what was true and what wasn’t,” said Faroke. Confusion and disbelief were thick in the air the afternoon of April 15 as news stations flooded the airways with bits and pieces of information they tried to string together in order to keep their audience as informed as possible.
Although it was tough to deal with all the chaos happening in her vicinity and “the constant sirens going on all night,” Faroke felt safe with the increased police surrounding Boston University’s campus.
On Thursday, April 18, President Barack Obama spoke at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. He took a moment to talk about each victim, paying his most sincere condolences to their families. Spendnig his college days in Boston, President Obama expressed how much this city means to him. One part of his speech which really struck a note was when President Obama found the positive in a time of great pain: “That’s what you’ve reminded us — to push on. To persevere. To not grow weary. To not get faint. Even when it hurts. Even when our heart aches. We summon the strength that maybe we didn’t even know we had, and we carry on. We finish the race.”
In the midst of anguish and despair, there is always hope.
Our hearts go out to those impacted by this Boston tragedy.
Our hearts also go out to the victims of other tragedies that occurred last week too, just a few years back.“Considered the deadliest shooting in modern U.S history” we remember the victims lost in the Virginia Tech massacre that occurred on April 16, 2007. A bell rang slowly at a ceremony held in the state Capitol of Richmond commemorating the 32 lives that were lost at the hands of a single gunman.We also remember the Columbine High School Massacre that happened on April 20th 1999 in Littleton, Colorado. Here, two seniors took the lives of 12 of their classmates and a teacher. This is another incident that went down in history as one of the worst tragedies seen in the United States.
We must remember all the lives that were lost in these tragedies. We must also continue to be strong and stand together through these terrible and unjustifiable acts of violence that try to break us down. In the words of President Obama, “We will finish the race,” and we will finish strong.
Sources:
http://www.9news.com/news/article/330720/188/6th-anniversary-of-Virginia-Tech-shootings
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/10/craig-scott-columbine-mas_n_3054909.html#slide=890570
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/boston-marathon-timeline-article-1.1317660
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/18/obama-boston-address-full-text_n_3110785.html?ir=Religion