One Year Later, One Year Stronger

Guest post from my brother who will be cheering on the runners today…

Typically, the posts that are on here are about travel deals. It is appropriate today, being the one year anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing, to self reflect and realize how blessed are lives are. This tragedy has had a long lasting effect on me because it happened in the city that I have lived in for nearly thirty years.

Growing up in the suburbs of Boston and now in the city of Boston itself, the marathon has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. As a young child, I would stand at mile 6 eagerly awaiting to see these unbelievable athletes run right before my eyes. I couldn’t believe that these top-notch athletes has the endurance to run 26.2 miles. Even to this day, it amazes me.

Last year, I was traveling for work so I was not able to take part in the marathon. I was very jealous when all my friends were at the finish line partying. Then all of a sudden I remember getting text messages from people asking if I was fine. I had no idea what people were talking about till I opened up Facebook and saw the news. My first reaction was to call my parents and make sure no one we knew was affected. I was shocked and blessed that not one person I knew was injured. I remember thinking to myself that I could have easily been at the wrong place at the wrong time in Boston. However, I am so proud of my city with the support they’ve shown to those affected.

Good luck to all those running today!

Thanks all for reading my brothers reflection of this horrific event. Being from Boston myself, this incident really hit home. While I am no longer able to cheer on the runners year to year that I live elsewhere, I do remember “Marathon Monday” being one of my favorite days of the year.