Boston Marathon - Part 3 of 3, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Four large poster boards and many Sharpies were arranged at the impromptu memorial site for visitors to leave comments. 

There were three quotes pre-printed on the posters: one each by President Obama, Governor Patrick, and Mayor Menino.  Otherwise the public was free to leave their comments.

And many people did leave a comment.

All the years I've looked at maps of Massachusetts but I never thought of this - very clever - it brought a smile to my face.

And at Marathon time, we are the world's home.

In the week since the bombings, other tragedies have occurred around the world with  many fatalities.  It is a sober reminder to enjoy the voyage of life - it can end abruptly and unexpectedly at any time or, events can render one maimed for whatever remains of one's life. 

What does all this mean?  That on the timeline of the world another tragic act of humanity's worst behavior is writ large and irrevocable.

Instead of all gathering to joyously celebrate some remarkable accomplishment that enriches the world, we gather here to again bow our heads sadly at another unspeakable act of violence and madness.  Can humanity do no better than this?

But it is spring in Boston.  And as always, the runners will run. The sun has come out and replaced the explosions of evil with nature's explosion of growth, and renewal, and achingly beautiful sights in our natural world.  And with each passing day these events will fade from the top of minds but always, in an instant, recallable as sad and sick markers in what is otherwise an extraordinary journey through our time on this planet. 

And next year, from all over the world, runners will be again drawn to Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriot's Day to participate in the 114th Boston Marathon - to again take part in a special race as the crowds gather along the 26.2 mile route and cheer them on.  

Boston Marathon - Part 2 of 3, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Barely a week ago, I stood on Boylston Street at the Marathon finish line and watched the wheelchair competitors, the women's elite runners, and the men's elite runners cross the finish line.  I watched and felt their thrill of victory, their pride at accomplishing a dream, overcoming a difficult challenge.  Then I left and wandered around other parts of the Marathon and downtown areas.  I didn't know that in just over two hours, the first bomb would explode right where I had been standing.

A week later, the sidewalk site of the first bomb blast near the finish line has been reopened to foot traffic.

The concrete repairs are still drying as pedestrians walk quietly by the site where the first bomb exploded.

A hard-won medal from a Marathon runner has been left here as a tribute to the memory of the dead and injured.

Windows still need to be replaced following the blasts.

And we look on contemplating the incomprehensible violence.

But there runs deeply through everyone here, "Boston Strong," a hope for a better day, a better time perhaps, when we no longer feel the need to kill or main each other.  As 8-year old victim Martin Richard wrote a year ago, "No more hurting people. Peace."

How does a human being commit such a heinous and unbelievable act - to construct and then leave a bomb within a crowd, a bomb solely designed to kill and maim innocent people.  Someone who commits this act simply is not human by my understanding of what humanity is and is not.  Such evil defies comprehension much less understanding.

How does one cross that line into madness that makes committing such an act okay in his mind - to justify some extraordinarily sick belief that murder and mayhem are worthy acts within his perverted belief system.

How do they do what they do in the name of a God?  For that matter, how has humanity done much of what it's done in the name of a God for thousands of years? So many of these acts are an affront to the meaning of Godliness. 

The concrete is still drying after workers replace the sidewalk areas damaged by the bomb blast. The stain of blood and other signs of carnage are gone.  But we will never forget.  The concrete hardens as does our resolve to never give in to terror - "We are Boston Strong" - and we will be back next year for the Boston Marathon.

Boston Marathon - Part 1 of 3, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

This sentiment is visible everywhere in town now.......

and yesterday the people came by the thousands to the Boston Marathon finish line.

The authorities in Boston had just reopened Boylston Street. I too, felt compelled to visit the impromptu shrine at Copley Plaza.  I wanted to pay my respects and honor the memories of the three people who died and the scores of people maimed and injured at the finish line on Marathon Monday. I had stood there, too, on that day, only a few hours before the blasts.

We came alone, or in pairs, or as families, or as co-workers on a break, some walking, some on crutches, some in wheelchairs - we were young or old, black or white, domestic or foreign, and everything in between - our emotions were palpable - sadness, loss, anger, confusion, love, redemption, forgiveness.  A steady stream of people had come - some had journeyed specifically for this, some happened by on chance, some lingered, some passed through quickly. But a solemnity overspread all.

This is the shrine to the three killed at the finish line - Krystle, Lingzi, and Martin.

Many sports team hats were left in tribute with the "Boston Strong" message......

And hundreds of stuffed toy animals....

And flowers, and wreaths, and bouquets.....

And always reinforcing the message ....."Boston Strong."

Running shoes by the hundreds.......

And American flags too numerous to count .........

Amid the sadness -  the defiant and resilient message prevailed - "Boston Strong."

Even the news teams were quiet, respectful, and subdued, shown here interviewing a marathoner who came to pay her respects.

It was a gathering of sadness made bearable by the outpouring and sharing of love and caring by strangers. It was made bearable by the warm spring sunshine that helps remind us that amid the sadness, renewal and rebirth has arrived as Boston marks another glorious spring.  We are "Boston Strong." 

I'm glad I went.

Boston Marathon, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Patriot's Day in Massachusetts commemorates the beginning of the American Revolution in 1775 - but perhaps even more famously it hosts the world renowned Boston Marathon.

The Boston Marathon is about tradition (this is the 117th event), and mental determination, dedication, athletic prowess, focus, and training and then, on race day, it's about each and every athlete pushing his or her self  to an extraordinarily high level of accomplishment.  It's about an honorable challenge, to complete the 26.2 mile Boston Marathon, and the requisite extraordinary drive and  will to run those miles against thousands of other equally motivated competitors.

The sidewalk crowd at the finish line seems to be either looking up at the television monitor to see how close the runners are or, looking down at their cellphones.

Massachusetts' Governor Deval Patrick (lower left) stands in the VIP section anticipating the imminent arrival of the winners.

Although the Boston Marathon is a bigger-than-life event with many thousands of racers, it's really more about the thousands of individual triumphs and personal bests and, the hundreds of volunteers in the infrastructure who make it all work smoothly.  These folks are readying the mylar blankets for the runners.

Just past the finish line, this tent is normally the refuge of racers who need some medical attention at the end of the race.  Sadly, it became an onsite emergency treatment area following the nearby blasts.

Figuring out where to find your clothes, your bus, and your family and friends is part of the logistical challenge of this event made efficient by the many yellow jacketed volunteers.

Many spectators brought their dogs - this small one was better off on shoulders than underfoot.

The look on their faces really tells the story better than my words............

.

And this runner's face pretty much sums it up -  her look of sheer joy and exhilaration just seconds after crossing the finish line.

 The 2013 Boston Marathon is not about the lunatic acts of criminal elements. It is about the human drama and indomitable spirit within us all to pursue and complete a difficult challenge.