Look for the Helpers…

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping,'" – Rev. Fred Rogers, Mister Rogers Parenting Book.

I first found out what happened in Boston after I came in from a walk. The first image I saw on the television was of the second explosion being replayed by the news.

My first thought was, “I sure as hell hope that was just a stupid prank.”

Then the report mentioned that two people were confirmed dead at the time.

I knew it wasn’t a prank.

I’m not going to discuss the horror, the anger and rage, the injured or the tragic losses of the three families who lost their children. That’s been played out on the news enough times for all to see.

But I want to point out something that could be plainly seen in all the news clips. That no one on the news seemed to be commenting about as the event unfolded.

Even as the debris was still falling from the explosions, people were rushing in to assist and help the injured. Bill Richard—the father of eight-year-old Martin Richard who was killed in the blast—credits the immediate response of rescuers and medical personnel for saving the lives of his wife and daughter who survived the blast.

While the smoke was still rising from the explosion, police, organizers and bystanders were pulling down the barriers so emergency medical people could run in and attend to the wounded. Racers who had just run 26 miles, stepped up and helped carry away victims.

A number of the racers ran another two miles from the finish line to the hospital to donate blood. One of the surgeons from the hospital was in the marathon, he simply ran straight for the hospital and got right to work.

“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

Those words, Mr. Rogers attributed to his mother, Nancy Rogers. In times like this, they are truer than ever.

There are so many other examples. In Utah, when bystanders ran together to lift a burning car off an accident victim. In Mississippi, motorists pulled over to rescue two women from a burning car.

This is Boston.

This is America.

This is what we do.

As far as the people who perpetrated this act and those who are either hiding them, helping them, or not turning them in, their lives are pretty much over. Until they are captured and brought to justice, every waking and sleeping moment of their lives will be spent continuously looking over their shoulders, wondering when the moment will come when justice catches up to them.

When it does, they’d better hope that it is the police and not someone from Southie…