The images were poignant. Somber and silent, the nation paused on Tuesday to honor the fallen and remember the day. No, April 15th was not cause for revering the IRS’s massive, annual tax collection. It marked the one year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing, a day in which tragedy heartbreakingly took over our TVs, as more than 270 were wounded and 3 persons died… Martin Richard, only 8… Krystle Campbell, 29… and Boston University student Lingzi Lu, age 23. MIT police officer Sean Collier died 3 days later, allegedly also at the hands of the bomber.
Former Boston Mayor Tom Menino, who is currently battling his own serious health issues, stood boldly before Tuesday’s reverent crowd, sharing the following: “Now, I know some of you can’t hear me very well, and it’s not just because of the fancy way I talk. It’s because you lost some of your hearing that day. I want you to hear this solemn promise: when lights dim and cameras go away, know that our support and love for you will never waiver… We will never forget what this day means to you… this place will always be strong…”
Strong. “Boston Strong.”
Then it donned on me… what makes us “strong”? People love that word. They love to speak it, say it, and use it to describe someone they admire. “You are so strong,” we enthusiastically affirm. But I’m struck by what actually makes us “strong.” Note that it typically isn’t an idea, issue, or some polarizing policy approach. No… I get the keen sense that anything that makes us “strong” is not accompanied by any division or derision. Such disharmony does not equate to a strength.
I think of NFL coach Chuck Pagano. Only 3 games into the 2012 season as his first year as head of the Indianapolis Colts, Pagano was forced to take a leave of absence after being diagnosed with a cancer of the blood and bone marrow cells. As the season without him began to evolve, so did the inspirational movement that carried the Colts into the playoffs. As both fans and momentum amassed, they cheered and chanted and repeatedly hash-tagged “CHUCK STRONG!” … “Chuck Strong…”
What made them strong? An idea, issue, or policy approach? No way. In the wake of tragedy, we are once again united — on an issue in which there is no so-called “other side.” Tragedy unites us, as it causes us to recognize and prioritize what is truly most important.
Years ago I read the perplexing but simultaneously peace-giving, divine promise that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him. Truthfully, that concept is sometimes a little hard for me. It’s challenging to see the good embedded within trials and tragedies that are so grievous and make seemingly so little sense. We would wish those heartaches on no one.
Yet when we witness such a resilient response such as in Boston and Indianapolis, we begin to grasp a glimmer of where some good may actually exist. Without a doubt in those two cities, there is a strength that otherwise the people would have never known.
Yesterday I quietly pulled out my favorite Starbucks Boston mug in which to drink my morning coffee. It tasted good. It felt good, too.
Respectfully…
AR