One week ago

One week ago, I was sitting in my office and heard someone across the hall say "Oh my God.  Have you heard about what happened in Boston?"  We got together and read the little bits of news coming from the Boston Marathon.  I had two good friends down there - I checked on Facebook and saw that they confirmed they were safe.  Their kids (one is Noah's best buddy Ben) had been on the Cape with relatives while Lauri and Jen were at the race. Relief. 

Here is their story: http://www.wabi.tv/news/39308/boston-marathon-runner-finish-line-volunteer-from-old-town-speak-out









The rest of the week I watched my friends in the Boston area through Facebook as the story unfolded.  Katie, a former student, lives in Watertown and took photos out the window while she spent her day inside during the lock down.  Mark and Lisa had tickets to the Bruins game on Friday evening.  It was cancelled and they returned on Saturday to a safer Boston - but a changed Boston.  She took a bunch of great photos and they tell their story on Facebook.

I am still working through my feelings - most of them have to do with how very fragile this life is.  What we love can be taken away in a second.  Usually my head always goes back to how important it is to live in each moment: not spend too much time thinking about stuff that has already happened, or wishing about things that haven't happened.  I need to focus on how truly wonderful each of my regular, routine days are.  I get to see things through two new sets of 6 year old and 2 year old eyes.  I get to work with college students as they figure out how to be a student and adult in an environment away from what has been familiar for 18 years.  It's good work. 

On Saturday, Noah, Eli and I went on campus to "run" in the Healthy High 5K.  It was a wonderful day - gave us a chance to see friends and gather with other people in a way to have a race experience that was filled with joy, life and celebration.  It felt good.  Here I am with the little red wagon crew (I stood out like a sore thumb - the woman walking/running a 5K pulling a red wagon behind her with 4 little boys).  You see now why I put run in quotations! 

Noah, Ben, Jeremy and Eli in the wagon

Noah loved it!  I was holding him back, so he went on ahead with Ben.  They finished with a great time - Ben's Mom Lauri was at the finish line and got them snack and Gatorade while I finished the race with the wagon.  Half way through, Eli wanted to "run" the race, too!

 

Noah showing off his race shirt and medal.  What a big boy!

Eli checks under these turtles in the garden for worms and bugs every day.  He calls them "wumms."

So we celebrated.  Saturday evening we played outside too late when we should have been in the bathtub.  We had big, messy ice cream cones along with our cucumbers and dip.  We got into bed and snuggled and I felt so blessed - so lucky - to be safe and warm and have my two little boys right here with me.
My heart aches for little Martin Richard and his family.

I'll leave you with Eli the hockey golfer.  He enjoys the wider surface of a mini hockey stick to get the balls where they need to go!  Super cute.