Gratitude to First Responders & Courageous Bystanders

To the first responders who ran toward danger without a thought for their own safety, to bystanders and neighbors who dropped everything to help, tearing off clothing to make tourniquets, to offer food and open their homes to strangers, and to the exhausted marathoners who just kept running straight to the hospital to donate blood in the immediate aftermath of the Boston bombings on Monday (and the West, Texas explosion yesterday), you remind me how proud I am to be an American.

Instinct tells us to run as far away from danger as possible.  Yet, today, we read story after story of kind, brave citizens doing the opposite, reaching out to help others in the midst of panic and mayhem.  Please read this uplifting story by Esther Zuckerman in The Atlantic Wire, sharing the actions not only of first responders but good Samaritans.  A picture is worth a thousand words…

First Responder to the rescue in Boston

And this…

Juice from a good samaritan in boston

Whether person or persons foreign or domestic were responsible for this terrorist act, every time we see the bravery and selflessness of our citizens, we prevail.

That can be no comfort to the victims of this tragedy, but I hope it at least reminds those so cruel, senseless or deranged that we will continue to stand together by opening our hearts to each other.

I also thank Patton Oswalt’s for his piece in the Huffington Post, The Good Outnumber You and Always Will.  We will never stop helping our neighbors.  We will also never be overcome by those who thrive on hate or destruction.

A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

 

There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it–always.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

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Anita Finlay is the author of Dirty Words on Clean Skin, the #1 Women in Politics Book, now available in print and Kindle editions on Amazon.

Read more from Anita at Ani’s Blog, like Anita Finlay, Author on Facebook, follow @AnitaFinlay on Twitter.

Anita is also the co-host of Finlay & Smart Talk on BlogTalk Radio on Tuesday nights –  On 4/16 Finlay & Smart Talk discussed the brave citizens of Boston, and proudly welcomed Aaron Hartzler, author of the delightful  YA memoir, Rapture Practice.