In the days after the Boston Marathon bombing I remember telling my husband my feelings on bringing a child into a world filled with so much evil. A year later I still feel this way. Its hard to think about what the Boston Marathon was and what the marathon day will be like this year. I struggle with the unsettling feeling that my baby will never know what marathon day was like before the events that took place that day in April. He will only know what this day in our city has become. One with increased security measures and increased fears. I hate that for him.
I remember my first time experiencing the Boston Marathon. I had moved here from Ohio and had never experienced anything like it before. I’ll admit that I didn’t really “get it” and what this day means until years later. Marathon Monday or Patriots Day is one day out of the year where much of the city shuts down to cheer on the runners who have trained all year long for this one day—26.2 miles. The energy from the runners and spectators ignites something in you that is hard to explain to anyone who has not experienced this day for themselves.
This time last year I was 4 months pregnant with my son getting ready to head into our old neighborhood to watch the marathon with my stepdaughter. Never could I have ever imagined how our day would turn out. A day that started with excitement ended in fear and sadness. Sadness for the families of those whose lives were lost and those who were injured and a fear that my family and I were no longer safe in this place we call home.
We all know how the days after the bombings played out. Those days were filled with so many questions and theories. Most of all—why? Later that week my husband and I went to Ohio to visit my family—we woke up to the news that our city was on lockdown. It was surreal to watch the events unfold in familiar places to us on CNN.
With the marathon date quickly approaching I feel an urgency to be there on the sidelines cheering on the runners more than any year ever before. In years past I went to show my support for the runners but this year I will attend not only to support those who train all year for this one race but also for those who lost their lives and those injured. I’ll be there to show the world that despite the evil that ripped through our hearts that day last April we are not afraid and that this city I call home is stronger than ever before.
This years marathon is going to be pretty incredible for so many reasons. For the runners who were unable to finish the race last year. For the families of those who lost loved ones. For the injured. For all those who call Boston home.
Follow along with Emma live from the 2014 Boston Marathon on Mamalode's Instagram @mamalode
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