helpers

As more details emerge from the Boston Marathon attack on Monday, I am constantly reminded that in all this darkness and evil, there is still light.  Stories of first responders, police officers, medical staff and the kindness of everyday citizens, who ran towards the smoke, not away from it to help those who were injured.

When my son heard (limited) details about what had happened on Monday, he looked visibly worried.  He couldn't understand that "if it won't happen to us" (this is what I keep telling my kids), then why does it even happen at all?  Why do these horrible things keep happening again and again?  He asked, "Didn't something horrific just happen to 20 kids...what is going on lately?"

And although I keep telling my kids that it won't happen to us, it's getting harder and harder to convince my precocious boy (and believe this myself) that we are completely safe.  Then I remembered this quote that circulated on twitter and the internet.

"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." 

Fred Rogers {source} 

So I told this quote to my son, who immediately took comfort in the knowledge that there are good people in this world, and in almost any emergency or tragedy, there will always be someone there to help. And although we can't prevent, hide from, prepare for or even imagine such a tragic event, he felt assured that you can always find light in the dark.

Thank you Mr. Rogers.  I think this helped me too.