This morning I buried my mother, surrounded by her friends and our family and Dianne who has been my strength since coming to Ogdensburg for this trip. The day was tougher than I thought for many reasons including my siblings being so amazing as were able to all pull together to make the day about the memories of mom and not our petty and maybe not so petty disagreements over the years. I have a lot pent up because of today. After the service and burial, the family and friends gathered for a lunch, and Dianne and I drove to Syracuse for an early morning flight. As we walked into the hotel a large television in the lobby flashed a special report. It was a few minutes after 3pm. I had forgotten it was Patriot's Day. So as the clerk asked if she could help me I was transfixed on the film of an explosion on a street I once walked down regularly. We got to the room and I watched the news trying to make sense of this. I wanted to know my Bostonians friends were okay, I thought of who might be running today, and I thought this was an added surrealism to the day. I can't seem to take my eyes off this.
It didn't take long for the crazies to come out. Already there are conspiracy theories about why this occurred. I have also seen partisan bitching about it and the news reporting unverified rumors to be first.
But the one thing I heard more than anything from last night through this morning about my mom was how much she helped people around her. Even I didn't know some of the details of the little things she did. So with that in mind my eyes are not as jaded as normal. But we saw neighbors and strangers, runners and spectators, first responders and normal citizens all trying to find a way to help. One woman who lives and works in Boston wrote it better than I could today. Read what she wrote. Think about it and focus on the good in life.
I will share what I said about my mother later in the week. Tonight remember as a community, a country and a humanity we will always be more good than evil. I truly believe that.
http://jwa.org/blog/holding-onto-humanity
It didn't take long for the crazies to come out. Already there are conspiracy theories about why this occurred. I have also seen partisan bitching about it and the news reporting unverified rumors to be first.
But the one thing I heard more than anything from last night through this morning about my mom was how much she helped people around her. Even I didn't know some of the details of the little things she did. So with that in mind my eyes are not as jaded as normal. But we saw neighbors and strangers, runners and spectators, first responders and normal citizens all trying to find a way to help. One woman who lives and works in Boston wrote it better than I could today. Read what she wrote. Think about it and focus on the good in life.
I will share what I said about my mother later in the week. Tonight remember as a community, a country and a humanity we will always be more good than evil. I truly believe that.
http://jwa.org/blog/holding-onto-humanity
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