Krystle Campbell

I did not know Krystle Campbell though she lived about a four minute walk from from my front door. I have lived here since 2007. My neighbors knew her. My neighbors children played with her and graduated from high school with her. Today was her funeral. I also live within walking distance of the center of town. At first I wasn't going to go but I am overwhelmed by sadness and have been brought to tears on more than one occasion. Out of respect for this young woman I went. On my way I passed the city hall.

The funeral was held at the church where I received my First Holy Communion and Confirmation, St. Josephs. Another connection, though admittedly a thin one. There was a decent crowd when I first arrived with a full contingent of television crews, both local and national parked in front of the library across from the church, and a few foreign ones as well. Overhead there were helicopters. The crowd grew. There was a threat that the Westborow Baptist Church would picket the funeral. Local biker groups and teemsters pledged, and in fact showed up to form a human wall to keep the protesters from interfering with the funeral. Yeah they looked like tough bikers but in fact, from what I saw they were thoughtful, good people. They just like to ride motorcycles. I am not a particularly religious man but Bless Them. I don't know if the protesters showed up because I left right after the casket was brought into the church.

The Bikers and teemsters move into position.

I neglected to mention in my praise of all those whole reacted to the explosions, the fire men. There is a fire house very near to the finish line and those people rushed towards the explosions along with the police, medical people, race officials and  ordinary citizens. Incredible bravery and compassion on everybody's part.

As I said  everybody around here including me, have been affected by this tragedy. As I walked away from the church I felt my emotions once again, bubbling to the surface. You see this kind attack happining in cities around the world on television and it's horrible to imagine. Now it has happened in my own backyard. I'm not sure why the marathon was picked except maybe because it is on a world stage and it attracts many thousands of people. Even as I write this I am watching, on CNN the the thwarting of an attack in Toronto. They have said that it has no connection the Boston Marathon attacks. At least it was stopped before we had another tragedy.

Well with all that has happened in the last week I have neglected many more mundane tasks of life. Laundry, vacuuming and the like. Actually it will be a welcome distraction. I would also like to mention, being from Boston, a special thanks to New York. Yeah we're sports rivals in all sports but getting support from the Big Apple means so much to we here in Boston. What they did at Yankee Stadium was so touching to us. When 9-11 happened fire fighters and medical people and other support people from Boston went to New York because it was an attack on America. And though you can't compare the loss of life in both attacks they were still both attacks on America and after all we are all Americans. Also though I haven't mentioned it but my heart does go out to the people of West Texas. They also had a larger loss of life than we had in Boston. They are a small town we are a large city on the east coast with an event that attracts a world wide audience not to mention millions of tourists. A good chunk of their world was wiped out not to mention the loss of life. Their fire fighters and law enforcement people were no less brave than those here in Boston. I feel empathy, sympathy with all those folks. Then there are the floods in the mid west. I admit I haven't paid much attention to that story as we have all been preoccupied. This has been a tough week for America but as always we will overcome all this.
   

Thank you everyone. Thank you America, and the rest of the world.
Boston Strong