Sweet Birdie's Nest Blog

Yesterday afternoon, the kids and I arrived at a friend’s house for a playdate and she said, “Have you seen the news about Boston?” At this point, between picking Molly up from school, feeding James, squeezing in a workout and then getting the kids out the door for the playdate, I had not seen the news. In the short drive to her house, I didn’t hear about it on the radio. As the girls played and we marveled at James and laughed at her beyond adorable two-year-old, we kept the news on, catching glimpses of the coverage. She said, “I should probably turn this off so the girls don’t see it,” but we never did and to be honest, as much as I didn’t necessarily want Molly to stop and watch the coverage, I did want to see what was happening. Luckily, the kiddos were busy enough and they never asked what was going on.

I texted with my mom, both of us wondering what this world is coming to. I prayed for my children, and Beverly’s children, and our friend’s children. I prayed for the runners, and not just the runners in Boston, but runners everywhere. And the spectators. And the policeman and fireman and National Guardsmen and the doctors and nurses who worked so diligently yesterday. I keep watching the video footage from the finish line and as a runner who has run two marathons, I know the elation and exhaustion those runners were feeling as they approached the finish line, but I cannot imagine the shock and pain and disbelief and confusion they felt yesterday, at the Boston Marathon finish line. Also, I keep thinking about how difficult it can be to locate a loved one after a race. The first time I ran a marathon, it took me about an hour to find Jim afterwards. I am sure that the runners and spectators yesterday were in dire need of reconnecting with each other after the two explosions, and even minutes felt like hours.

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with social media lately, but yesterday was a good day. I could see how social media was helping people connect with loved ones they were worried about. Many runners from the Charlotte area were in Boston for the marathon, and the running clubs quickly rallied on Facebook, letting others know who was ok and updating the community on those who were injured.

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As awful as yesterday’s events were, I take great hope in the words of Fred Rogers:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things on the news,

my mother would say to me ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people helping.’”

What a great truth. We don’t have to focus on the bad. We can acknowledge the tragedy, but teach {and learn} about bravery and compassion through the helping. I sometimes wonder how to raise my children in a world as scary and hurtful as ours, but then I remember that when people work together and offer hands – praying hands and helping hands – the world isn’t so scary after all.