A lonely tear slipped onto my cheek as I drove along Highway 4 and absorbed the press conference being held by Massachusetts General Hospital Chief of Emergency Services, Dr. Alasdair Conn and Chief of Trauma Surgery Dr. George Velmahos. I continued to listen to the new updates for a few minutes then touched my radio to make it go away.
The tragic coincidence in the types of injuries and the nature of the event are maddening. Many runners with legs fatigued and cramping found a new agony as they ran to the aid of so many that will never walk or run again. The family who lost an 8-year-old son is particularly painful to think about. Nearly 1 year ago exactly, I crossed the finish line of the hardest race of my life - into the arms of my waiting 8-year-old and 2-year-old daughters, wife, and parents. The father of this young man now grieves the loss of his son while sitting by the bed of his badly injured wife and daughter.
What balm is there for this? What salve for those wounds?
I think I'm writing this as a catharsis for myself, as I am impotent to make any impact whatever in the way of good there. But I pray. I beg and I pray and I hug my girls when I get home and try to push the evil away as far as I can.
I run the Mt. Diablo Trails Challenge again this weekend. I hope they have a moment of silence at the beginning of that race. If it's not official, then I will pray alone, to God who knows and sees and is just and good. His ways are past finding out - but I will also ask why? I don't anticipate an answer in that moment, but when He wipes all tears away some day, I will ask again, and His answer will show all things well done.
But for now - we pray.
As I watched in horror and disbelief, the scenes playing across my television, my mind flashed back to almost a year ago, waiting for you to cross the finish line, a the 50k race you were in. I remember straining my eyes to catch a glimpse of you coming up over the rise, the the excitement of seeing you cross the finish line, and rejoicing that you had accomplished your goal. I cannot imagine having the excitement of that moment of celebration with you on the joy of accomplishment, snatched away in an awful moment of time.
ReplyDeleteI thought of the painful, grueling hours of training for the race that had no finish. What a crushing blow to realize all those hours which seemed for naught.
I am ever grateful for the opportunity I had to see you finish that race and treasure the memories I have of the last few seconds of your race. Those families have had that taken away from them and I grieve for their loss.
My heart grieves the soul or souls who perpetrated this horrible deed. Why, you ask? Because that is a soul without God, without peace. What a horrible condition to be in with no peace in your soul and no God to give that needed peace. Some may think they deserve none now, but Jesus died to bring peace to the vilest of sinners. He extends His love and grace to all. Amazing God--amazing grace.