Looks like I missed something! My last post extolled the positives that occurred for the White Sox during Opening Week at home and that the upcoming road trip to Washington, Cleveland, and Toronto would be very tough.
We longtime Sox fans didn’t think that it was going to be that tough, however! But that’s a subject we can deal with in the days and weeks ahead. In light of what happened in Boston yesterday, none of that is important just yet.
The loss of three lives, and the devastating and horrific injuries to so many others, speaks volumes about the world in which we live. Right now, my thoughts and sincere prayers go out to those innocents who just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time!
When I first heard that one of the people killed was an eight-year-old boy, my heart sank even lower than what it had upon hearing the original story of this insanity. I’m sure it was probably because our oldest grandson is seven, probably with the same interests, dreams, and hopes for a good, long life as the eight-year-old boy, Martin Richards.
Seems as though he was a huge Boston Bruins hockey fan. And I’m certain he loved baseball and the Red Sox. He may have even rooted for the Boston Celtics in the NBA. I don’t really know for sure, but it’s safe to assume that kids of that age seem to enjoy all kinds of sports.
What I do know pretty much for certain, is that he probably was the same kind of kid as my oldest grandson in his enthusiasm for his teams. I’m guessing he had X-box games where he could pit his beloved Bruins up against other challengers and thrill to each victory rung up, just like my grandson and our beloved Blackhawks.
Just as my grandson does, Martin Richards may also have come home everyday after school and had to complete his homework before playing X-box or heading outside to play catch with his grandpa or to get some kind of hockey game going on the driveway—or in the garage, if the weather wasn’t quite right.
I realize that these kids are all the same. It doesn’t matter if there’s a million miles separating them, they still laugh and cry, lose their baby teeth and look like their hockey heroes because of it, take hot showers at day’s end and get into their jammies and snuggle up with Mom or Dad and love being read to. They con their way into sleeping over at the grandparents’ and know all the right strings to pull and at just the right time!
We tuck them into their beds and thank the Lord that we have that opportunity to do so, night after night. As a grandparent, perhaps, I’m reliving it all again—going through those same routines now and then when I’m down at their house—but loving every minute of it!
We would like to believe that our little guys—and girls—have a long and happy life ahead. We do our best to stay out of the way when it’s best, and most of the time it is. But at times such as the nightmare in Boston yesterday, we cannot do enough. And no one really can. We are definitely at the mercy of an element in this world that is all wrong. And for whatever reason it was allowed to become this way, all we can do is count our blessings that we’re as safe as we are. But it just doesn’t seem to be enough.
We like to think that we can thwart any bad or evil—but we really can’t. If we could, little guys like Martin Richards would be getting cleaned up right now and ready for bed on this school night. His little sister wouldn’t be struggling with the pain of amputation. His mom would be free of the effects of a serious head injury. His father would not be hurting like no other person could possibly imagine at the devastation of his family.
I think of my kids and grandkids and hope that they have had a good day today and that tomorrow will be equally as good and safe. It is so frustrating to realize that there is nothing we can do as we wend our way through each day. We can’t live in fear, but it makes us wonder all the same. Prayers to all—especially for Martin Richards and his family…