First Thoughts: My Prayer for Boston

www.wsj.com

Most have something that they do to relieve stress or overwhelming emotion. Some hit the gym and sweat it out. Some take to canvas and paint it out. Some head to the kitchen and eat it out. Myself, I pick up a pen and grab a piece of paper and write it out. I've been keeping a diary since Elementary school so writing regularly is part of my routine. I communicate best on paper. As I was working yesterday afternoon around 3p, my Twitter feed was visible as usual. I noticed one tweet, then two tweets and then three tweets not too specific but asking questions regarding the Boston Marathon and word regarding explosions. I said out lout, "huh?" Being as though I work from home, I have the luxury of turning on the television which I did immediately. At that point, word was just coming out about what had occurred. NBC did a great job disseminating information and not validating anything that wasn't yet confirmed. The challenge being a viewer is that they could only report on what they were hearing because the full scope of what had occurred had not yet been realized. So the footage being shared be it still shots or video footage was raw, unfiltered and very graphic. They were simply sharing as it was coming in. The shot above was one shot that so captured the emotion. A fallen runner. Police with obvious expressions of terror and taking immediate action. The disarray. And smoke.

As I started to understand the magnitude and what had occurred, the tears started streaming. I mean it was just unimaginable. It felt like it was December all over again. The emotion I felt was comparable to the emotion I felt upon hearing about the New Town, CT shooting. I thought of my kids and just wanted to see them and hug them and tell them I love them. I spoke to a friend yesterday evening as he was leaving work. He is not the social media fiend that I am and he had no clue as to what had happened. I started crying as I was explaining the events to him. He was in total awe. I turned to Twitter for that sense of community and "tweeted" out my emotions. The same emotions being shared amongst alot of followers. And after finally pulling it together and after finally deciding to turn the channel and give myself a break, I saw a tweet regarding one of the victims being 8 years old. I'm a Mommy and my oldest is 8! It struck a chord and the tears started all over. Below, my first thoughts:

Erin A. Martin

15 hours ago near Washington

Man oh man. People spend their lives preparing for this annual event. For some, it's on their bucket list. A must-do. And to go and have something like this occur. And you have so many who travel far and wide and are now just wandering the streets trying to find loved ones or simply find their way. The same as w/ the injured, I can't fathom the impact on the first responders. They will NEVER be the same. This event will never be the same. Boston will never be the same. The say the injuries are comparable to what you see in a war zone. I liken this to how some become about love. They are cynics b/c they've suffered so much heartbreak. You have to give going anywhere a second thought now b/c there is no guaranteed security. People question their safety even when they seemingly shouldn't have to. Why? It's been proven over and over again when tragedies such as this occur. The only one who you can EXPECT protection from (not the police, not the army, not security personnel ...As valiant and as courageous and as diligent and resilient as they are) ...I'm saying the only one you can EXPECT protection is from MY GOD. Cover all of us ...In Jesus name ...#PrayersGoingUp #BostonMarathon

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