Isn’t
it funny (and by funny I mean strange) how quickly our lives can change? A day,
an hour, minutes, even seconds, can change everything – sometimes for the very worst,
sometimes for the ultimate best.
Take
last Monday for example (April 15, 2013)…
That
morning I was reeling with the unexpected news that my son, Tony Memmel, had
just been awarded the honor of “Singer/Songwriter of the Year” by the Wisconsin
Area Music Industry (WAMI). At an event the night before, they announced his
name, and in the blink of an eye, I saw years of his hard work, dedication, and
love of music all come together for him. I actually cried tears of happiness
for him as I felt a gamut of emotions: satisfied, excited, (maybe even) thrilled,
and certainly ready to celebrate!
I use the
internet for work, and also enjoy social networking, spending a great deal of my
time on Facebook. That morning was no different. As always, people bantered - wishing
their friends “Happy Birthday,” news stations forecasted weather and reported
on local happenings, friends posted silly cartoons about cleaning and wine
drinking, and some wrangled on about religion and politics… just another day in
the life.
Later, when I
returned home from errand running, I flipped on my television and couldn’t
believe what I was seeing or hearing. “Breaking News! Two explosions occurred
near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. A holiday in Boston – Patriot’s
Day – a day when people celebrate our country’s freedoms; a day that runners
who’ve trained hard and dedicated their time and energy to their sport, come
together – some to compete, some to celebrate life.” Over and over they showed
us the footage; over and over I witnessed the mayhem that unfolded. I felt
glued to that spot, not wanting to go, but knowing I should. I must… leave… the TV… I must… leave… the TV…
It’s hard to do though when you want to stay up-to-date and know what’s
going on.
I texted my
husband. “It doesn’t look good,” he said. Later he told me that a man he works
with had just finished the race about ten minutes before the explosion. The guy
was okay.
I texted my
daughter at her job, in Connecticut. “Are you okay? They’re saying the east
coast is under a watch.” She wrote back,
“We’re fine. But how can someone be so evil?” Indeed, the question we’ve been asking ourselves quite often these days…
I spoke with
Tony on the phone. As a touring musician, he’s travelled a great deal, and
counts Boston as one of his and Lesleigh’s very favorite cities in the country.
The kids have musical ties there, friends there, many people and places they
care about. He was feeling this devastation - hard.
It was
interesting to see the changes on Facebook too. An immediate somberness settled
over the site. Just about everyone I know posted something along the lines of, “Our
thoughts and prayers are with the people of Boston tonight…” Candles, flowers,
poems, you name it.
Life changes
fast, no doubt about it. It swings from light-hearted banter, to poems and
prayers. I think that we all need to learn that when something good and wonderful
happens, we should truly celebrate that good – and celebrate swiftly! Enjoy
every minute… I think that when something bad or tragic transpires, we need to
mourn and grieve, take the time to feel that sadness as deeply as necessary.
Somehow through
it all, though, we need to find a balance, because as sure as I am writing
this, we will continue to experience “the highs and the lows to the end of the
show for the rest of our lives…” (See Billy Joel’s quote above)
It’s not going
to ever stop.
And the truth
is, we just never know…
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