Stronger

12-19-17

#myDecemberGoal

Stronger

It was Monday April 15, 2013, and I was graduating high school in a month. A new school week had begun and I was in my last class of the afternoon with my basketball coach as my teacher. We were in one of our school’s computer labs working on our stock simulation game when someone mentioned that there had been bombings at the Boston Marathon.

We were scheduled to be in the computer lab the whole week working on our project. However instead of working on the assignments, I browsed the web to follow the manhunt that ensued to capture the two bomb makers. The sequence of events was weird because it lasted all week. I was too young to remember 9/11 as I was only in first grade, but these explosions occurred when I was a senior in high school. It was the first time where I experienced real reactions to a killing plot. Day after day, my classmates and I were wondering what was happening in Boston. I remember when they discovered where the final bomber was hiding. A Boston local had given a lead to the police authorities that the bomber had ran into the local’s backyard to hide in a boat. The police threw a ball shaped camera into the boat to confirm the man was hiding in there. Once they saw the footage, they stormed the boat and captured the suspect.

It’s four and a half years later, and my Dad and I sat down in our basement to watch the movie Stronger. It describes the story of a man named Jeff Bauman who lost his legs during the marathon blasts. Here’s what I’ll say after watching the movie. It opened my eyes to what people with any sort of disability have to deal with. I try to relate but I just can’t. The only thing I can do is be thankful for what I have and to open my heart and mind as to how I can help people who do have disabilities.

For this reason, I strongly recommend that you see the movie and I hope it teaches you what it taught me. It reinforced to me that everybody has their own internal battles and that we should be aware of this whenever we interact with someone. We need to always be compassionate and always be kind to others, because whether that person lost their legs or has lost a loved one, we can all give each other hope that this life still has joy to give even after devastating events.

-Brody

P.S. The Boston Red Sox won the World Series in 2013 after their city went through those horrific marathon bombings. Similarly this year, the Houston Astros won the World Series two months after their city went through the tragic events of Hurricane Harvey. When we come together and live to lift each other up, we become stronger.