Tuesday, April 15, 2014

A Moment of Memory | by: Matthew Jolles

Where were you when...?

We've all been asked the question time and time before. Where were you when a major event in history happened. Our parents will recollect about perhaps the John F. Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War, the Stock Market Crash of the 1980's or the Pan Am 103 Bombing in Lockerbie, Scotland.

For our generation we hold a few moments of our own to memory as well. Many will recall the World Trade Center attacks in 2001 or Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy that devastated so many lives in New Orleans and the Jersey Shore respectively.

But today, we stand one year to the day from a tragic that still has fresh feeling wounds for some. Today is one year from the Boston Marathon bombings.

Three attendees lost their lives, countless numbers were injured and a city that had not seen devastation and terror of a magnitude such as this since the War of 1812 was rocked to its core. The fragility of the days following though birthed something incredible. A new devotion, not just to the city but to each other. A desire to tear down the last remaining walls that were erected and become unified as one, unified under the now famous rallying cry BOSTON STRONG!

In the weeks and months following amazing moments of memory for the city occurred as well. The Boston Bruins made an unthinkable run all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before losing in a hard fought series to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Boston Red Sox, who had been mired in controversy over the past year, turned a corner and became the Band of Bearded Brothers that drove the emotions of the city all the way to a World Series Championship, creating another now famous moment of Sox slugger David Ortiz standing on the mound at Fenway just a day following the tragedy proudly screaming to the crowd assembled "This is our F'king City!"

Our days go by sometimes quicker that we wish them to, and at many a time we don't stop to savor or show respect to moments that not only define us but define our generations. This day, is one that will define our generation forever and many years from now as we transfer from no longer being students to perhaps being the professors, we must take the time to bring that moment of memory with us so that those stories our parents told us of their history will continue as we tell ours to our children so they know to hold on to their memories.

BOSTON STRONG, FOREVER!

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