Boston

As all of you know, I am a Bostonian. Even though I currently live in the DC area, Boston will forever be home for me. I got married in Boston nearly six months ago and around the same time, my parents sold their home in the suburbs of Massachusetts and moved onto Columbus Avenue in the Back Bay of Boston, a few blocks away from Boylston Street, where the crowds had gathered on the finish line of the Boston Marathon yesterday. My family is spread all over the Boston area - my brothers, my cousins and many, many friends live in this town. All of them took part in the festivities yesterday and by the grace of god, none of them were near the finish line when the attack took place.

Patriot's Day is a major holiday in Boston - also known as Marathon Monday. Businesses close all over the state so that locals can enjoy the day that marked the beginning of the American Revolution, but most importantly, to enjoy the city and the athletes that participate in one of the world's most famous marathons. Just like Saint Patrick's Day in Boston, Marathon Monday is tradition. And tradition is everything in this city.

To the core, I am proud to be from Boston. I love everything about it - the hard accents, the funny names of the Massachusetts towns, the generations of locals that are born and raised in the same towns their grandparents grew up in....and god, the sports. We live for our teams. The pride in this city is unwavering - you can feel the comradery the minute you step foot onto those beloved cobblestones. And being a native Bostonian living out of state, my favorite thing in the world is running into other Bostonians. It's like a brotherhood. But what I love the most about Boston is that we won't go down without a fight. We're too proud of our city.

Yesterday's attacks were horrific. A day of triumph and achievement in Boston will forever be tainted by tragedy. What bothers me most though, is that these attacks were made on a day of hope. These marathon runners, while some trained athletes, were mostly running for a cause. Whether it be to raise money for charity or to support the local victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, these runners were participating for the greater good. And yet, while terrorists tried to make a mark on this important day for us, Bostonians persevered. I continue to hear stories of marathon runners who ran past the finish line and continued on to Mass General Hospital to donate blood - my heart swells with even more pride. I love my city and I'm greatly mourning the loss of those who were affected by yesterday's attacks. My heart goes out to their families and to those who were severely injured.

As the Standells say so eliquoently - 'Well I love that dirty water...oh, Boston you're my home.' 

The Boston Harbor on my wedding day. Photo by Kelly Dillon Photography.