Look for the Helpers

It seems every time we turn on the TV these days we are overwhelmed by tragedy.  The bombings  yesterday at the Boston Marathon sadden, scare and shock me.  I am shocked at such a cowardly attack during a tradition that promotes unity and goodwill.  An article in the Guardian stated it so clearly:

"Marathon running has a long tradition of celebrating, commemorating, and affirming life. It's the only sport in the world where if a competitor falls, the others around will pick him or her up. It's the only sport in the world open to absolutely everyone, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or any other division you can think of.  It's the only sport in the world where no one ever boos anybody. "  

But yesterday instead of celebrating the human spirit we are in mourning.  The images of the chaos, the fear, and the pools of blood on the streets.  Images of OUR men, women and children laying in the streets limbless, clinging to life are etched in my mind.  But also etched in my mind are the men and women who instead of running from the chaos ran to it to help those hurt.  These are the images and the stories I choose to hold onto.  

I will hold onto the image of the young man who was running in the marathon who ripped off his shirt with his running bib still attached to use it as a tourniquet for someone he had never met.  I will hold onto the image of this story, of the family that was in front of the 2nd explosion.  When the explosion went off the father threw his 2 young children to the ground and covered them with his body and then another man, a complete stranger then covered that man with his body and told him to stay down.  These among many other stories and images of bravery are what I choose and what I need to hold onto so that I do not lose faith in humanity. As Gandhi says 

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."