Boston Strong

If you ask me where my family came from, my first response will be upstate New York, because that’s where my parents and their siblings were raised. However, if you trace my father’s family back a little further, you will discover that my relatives first arrived in Boston before moving west. Very few live there now, but that is where my family began our lives in the US.

Now that I am engaged, I am getting closer my fiancé’s family, who also come from Boston. It is always fun when we get the chance to travel up to Boston for a visit. One of my favorite things about visiting Massachusetts is getting to see Dan “go native” (ie: get his old accent back). :D

It was very scary when news of the Boston marathon bombing appeared on my twitter feed on April 15th. I immediately messaged Dan, so we could contact our friends and family in that area. Luckly, no one was hurt, but some of them had been only blocks away from where the bombs went off.


This past weekend, we visited Boston and stopped by the memorial that has sprung up. The scene was very moving with crowds of people walking slowly through the area. There were even volunteers offering overcome visitors a free hug and service dogs eager to smile and cuddle with any sad face.



Tragedy always tends to bring people together, and I was very touched to see how quickly the people of Boston got together after this sad event. While some people ran from the scenes, just as many ran towards the destruction to try and help anyone they could. These people’s act of steadfastness makes me very proud to be even a small, distant part of them.



Dan and I wandered through the memorial with his cousins, leaving some small tokens behind to honor those who were hurt.

As we walked away to make room for others, my thoughts turned back to the brave souls who ran to help instead of hurt. More than anything, I hope their deeds are memorialized and remembered, rather than those that caused it.