It is said that the true test of a relationship is how one responds to tragedy. In a previous post, I mentioned how America is like a big family of extended relatives.
https://ronda-isms.com/uncategorized/real-america/
Like most families, we fuss and argue, but in the end, we are family. Despite our diverse and diverging opinions on this country, we are family – the United States of America. When a member of our family is hurt, Newtown, Aurora, NYC, and now Boston, we respond as a family.
Whether this violence came from within or without our borders, it only proves what makes America desirable. In the face of tragedy, instead of being divisive, it strengthened us as a family. Yesterday, we watched tragedy unfold on a most festive day for Boston – Patriots Day. What was meant to tarnish Patriots Day, caused an outpouring of love, support, and acts of bravery and heroism on behalf of ordinary citizens who aided those in need. We watched volunteers run towards the danger zone to assist the injured, runners went to hospitals to donate blood. Ordinary people responding under extraordinary circumstances. Bostonians known for their grit, displayed their heart and vowed to be resilient. Tragedy meant to divide a country and test our faith in each other and humanity, only served to strengthen our love for our fellow brother. Yesterday in Boston, human kindness overflowed in the face of tragedy.
Dear Boston:
Your American family loves you, mourns with you, and prays for the restoration of your city: that physical wounds be healed; emotional scars bound; that as you pick up the pieces and try to make sense out of tragedy, your faith in each other will be restored; and that your current sorrow will later become a testimony to the resilience of your spirit and the human spirit.
To the family of Martin Richard, those killed, and injured:
No words can express what you are experiencing nor how our hearts hurt with yours. As you grieve, bury your loved ones, and tend to your wounded, we pray for comfort to your heavy hearts and burdened souls, and that your sadness will eventually find joy as you remember the lives and memory of those you lost.
Weeping may endure for a time, but joy comes.
God bless and comfort our Boston family.
Ronda is an attorney, writer, and entrepreneur. She is a contributing writer for the Huffington Post. Originally from Chicago, she has lived in Los Angeles and New York. She loves to travel and is passionate about education equity, especially for first generation college students.