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The Screaming Moderate

Tragedy and hope bound together

4/17/2013

1 Comment

 
A friend of mine, Barry Schumacher, was reading my recent posts covering the topics of my grandchildren and the Boston Bombings and said, “… tragedy and hope bound inextricably together” -- an insightful observation that I had not made.

Here are these nearly six-week old, innocent babies. Over there is a senseless act of violence that killed, maimed and injured folks from children to middle-aged adults.
 
We may never answer the question“why” regarding the bombings -- even if they apprehend the guilty party. I sat in a business meeting today and two colleagues each said they cried when they read about the 8-year who was killed and his mother who now has brain damage and his sister who is in critical condition. The father of that family started the day with the hope he could finish the 26.2 mile race. He had just met that hope of completing the race when the bombs went off, affecting his family forever. He crossed the finish line and entered a zone of tragedy. Then there is the man who lived the hope of two sons he fathered. He lost one lost his son to war, set himself on fire upon hearing that news and then lost another son to suicide.  Tragedy. He came to watch the marathon, and raced into the bombed area to save the life of a stranger.

Then there are these babies who have no awareness of what happened two days ago. Still crying to be fed or changed as their mom and dad cater to their every need, anxious to watch them grow and see what kind of people they
become.

Someone once had that feeling and hope about their baby -- the person who set those bombs. 
 


1 Comment
Karen Carpenter
4/17/2013 02:41:30 am

My grandson, Rashad's 3rd birthday was yesterday and it had me thinking about the tradegy too. I thought how much I took for granted with him at the Cherry Blossom parade in DC Saturday to start his birthday week; how someone else started Monday with hopes of sharing a nice outing with their family. Until some coward changed all that.

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    B. Jay Cooper

    B. Jay is a former deputy White House press secretary to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He also headed the communications offices at the Republican National Committee, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Yale University. He is a former reporter and is the retired deputy managing director of APCO Worldwide's Washington, D.C., office.
    He is the father of three daughters and grandfather of five boys and one girl. He lives in Marion, Mass.

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