What's it usually like in Watertown?
1st impression - BUSY!
They really squeeze a lot into 4.2 square miles.
There are always lots of cars, people and everyone's on the move. Watertown is a great place to go shopping, go to restaurants and visit friends who live there because it's near the T (subway) and a lot cheaper rent-wise than Cambridge or Arlington.
The Mt. Auburn Cemetery is incredibly beautiful and is listed as the second oldest public garden in America by the American Association of Public Gardens and Arboretum.
Watertown is where Paul Revere hid out with his family when the British were looking for him. Paul Revere is known as a Revolutionary. A Freedom Fighter.
That is a far cry from the bomber who hid out in Watertown last week.
Paul Revere fought for our freedom and so far, the only reason why the bombers apparently bombed innocent men, women and children attending the Boston Marathon was that they were FUBAR (f'ed up beyond all repair).
The runners crossing the finish line mid-afternoon each year of the marathon are not the professional athletes - they are your brother, your sister, your mom, your dad, your cousin, your spouse, your friend and your neighbor. They are your community.
They may come from California, Texas, Illinois or Michigan, but on Race Day, the Boston Marathon is about making it from the start line to the finish line. It's all about seeing your family after you've accomplished something really great in life. A runner told me the best thing in life is seeing your child's face and their pride in you when you cross the finish line for the first time.
Where did these bombers start their journey from being "angels" as their father described his boys to "terrorists?"
The bombers crossed the finish line, but they never ran the race - they never loved anyone, helped anyone or sacrificed their own well-being for the sake of a greater cause. They killed kids, moms, dads and friends. Their own mother's heart is broken. A father's dream for his sons is dead.
200+ people's bodies - ears, legs, feet, hands, arms, backs, brains, hearts were blown up, hit by shrapnel and punctured with bbs intentionally placed inside a pressure cooker bomb to kill. One brother was killed in a shootout with police where he and his brother tossed grenades and shot at law officers. One brother killed his own brother in an effort to escape.
That fleeing brother ran for about a mile and left a trail of blood to his hiding place in a boat in a family's backyard in Watertown. He hid in that boat while his mother and father told the world their son would never kill innocent people.
But he did. He killed kids, moms, dads and friends. Then he killed a police officer and attacked a group of police officers. He killed his own brother.
Then he tried to run away.
He broke his mother's heart. He killed his father's dream.
200+ people whose bodies were blown up, pierced with metal, embedded with pieces of metal and burned were what this bomber hid from in that boat in a backyard in Watertown.
I just can't believe it. I know the facts. I know how much everyone is hurting. I can't believe two men who were brothers, sons, nephews, a father, a college friend would hurt people. I just can't understand why anyone would do such a thing! When does "killer" become more important than "son" or "brother"?
Watertown is a busy place - people come and go and live their lives. For one crazy day, the world watched Watertown protects its own and capture a killer. Moms, dads, kids and friends can now walk again in a beautiful park, jog around a pond, shop in a local mall and live their busy lives. Hearts are broken, dreams are lost and a lot of people are starting to live again after the tragedy.
Arms, legs, ears, feet, elbows and hearts will slowly heal We've lost loved ones in a senseless bombing. We've lost loved ones who showed up for work to protect the communities they serve.
We're starting to understand that winning means never giving up. Never miss a moment to say I love you. Never think that being busy is more important than the ones you love. Be with the ones you love.
If there's anything the people of Watertown and Boston and the surrounding communities showed the world is that family is first. Boston Strong doesn't stand for the army of law enforcement that swooped in after the bombing.
Boston Strong means the kids, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandmas, grandpas, friends and neighbors who love each other and take care of each other.
Boston Strong means being there for the ones you love.
Killing kids, moms, dads, sisters, brothers has only one finish line: you lose.
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