With Love, to Boston

Boston. Our hearts ache for you this week. For your people, for those gone too soon, for those hurt, for those struggling. But this is what I know about you, Boston. You are a city of heroes. Always have been. We saw that again this week. The bravery of those in uniform and simply citizens makes us proud. Even the small acts of kindness — the police officer who made a run to store to get milk for kids under the lockdown, the marathoner who gave his medal to another runner who got only a few blocks from the finish line when the explosions broke her dream of finishing. The strength and perseverance of your people shined bright all week.

This is what I know about Boston, a place I visited just a few times but love, love, love. Boston is the home of the Freedom Trail, a walking path meandering by places where heroes stood.

The old buildings stand tall among the new, the brick among the glass, a picturesque place for us to enjoy.

The balcony of the Old State House is where the Declaration of Independence was first read in public. Future First Lady Abigail Adams reported to her husband John that at the end of the reading, “three cheers rended the air.”

Inside the Old State House you can explore the building, imagine the people rushing up and down the stairs. You can see a drum played at the Battle of Bunker Hill, just a few miles away. The Boston Massacre unfolded in front of Old State House.

The Old North Church is where Paul Revere watched for the lights — one if by land, two if by sea — and rode off on his epic journey to warn the patriots that the British army was on its way.

The heroes of older times lie buried in the graveyards on the Freedom Trail. Their legacy inspires us to cherish freedom and liberty for all.

Boston, your heroes of April 2013 inspire us, too. We want to pass on their legacy in acts of kindness, in looking for those who need help and being a helper, even in small ways. For these present-day heroes of Boston, for their bravery and courage, let’s rend the air with three cheers.

Linking up with Texture Tuesday, Sweet Shot Tuesdays,Tuesday Muse, and Communal Global.

Photos are edited with Kim Klassen’s textures History, Revolution, and Felicity and with Nancy at A Rural Journal’s textures Zia and nc0332, which is from her collection, Boston.