Life can change in an instant

I sat down to write a light-hearted blog post about my fun day watching the Boston Marathon. Instead, I am sitting here with tears streaming down my face as I try to make sense of the senseless violence. The day started with bright sunshine, perfect running temperatures, celebration and hope. The day ended with fear, shock and despair.

At 2:50 pm on Patriot’s Day, two bombs exploded next to the Boston Marathon finish line. Three people have died so far and hundreds were injured; many suffered loss of limbs. I spent Monday afternoon, frantically sending emails to my friends who ran the Marathon. Calling them was out; all cell phone service was turned off to avoid any more bombs being detonated.

How do you make sense of this evil act? The short answer is that you can’t.

As I react with anger and hatred towards those responsible for this, I’m shaking. My mind drifts back to a sermon given by my pastor. He talked about compassion and forgiveness. He was referring to the 9/11 tragedies, but it applies here. I must confess that I don’t always pay close attention to the sermons. This one stayed with me.

I try not to hate; I try to forgive. But, I can’t right now. In times of trouble, I turn to God. Prayer can be powerful, but right now I feel it isn’t enough. But what else can I do?

This post is dedicated to all those killed and injured in the blast. My thoughts and prayers are with their families. My hope is they find some measure of comfort and hope during these tragic times.

Photo is courtesy of Poi Photography’s Flickr Photostream, under Creative Commons Licensing.