What Changed Your World

 

I am writing this on Monday, April 17, 2023. Today is the 10th Anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. By the time I finish this article, the race will be over, and the winner will be decided. I am sure there will be events to memorialize the people who died that day and the hundreds of others who were injured. 

There are dates we memorialize. They are significant enough to stop our busyness and remember what happened and how it touched us that day. 

Some of those memories are happy: weddings, graduations, work and vocational milestones, etc. Others are very solemn occasions. These are the days you remember where you were and exactly what you were doing when you heard the news. These are events from the assassination of JFK to the murder of John Lennon, to the death of Elvis, 9-11, the first Moon Walk, the Challenger Disaster, the fall of the Berlin Wall, Woodstock, and others. 

Some of these events are times when the whole planet stopped in shock and was still. We take a moment and think about the unfairness of some things in life. We think of lives cut short. We wonder where our loved ones are and if they are safe. We may not know anyone directly involved with the event, but, somehow, the scope of the tragedy makes us a victim anyway.

I did not know a single person who was killed or injured on 9-11. Still, my family was forever changed because of the events of that day. My oldest son spent 12 years in the Marine Corps based on the events of that day. His younger brother originally considered that a dumb decision, but ended up pleading and fighting to enlist because he was blackballed. He ended up spending 4 years serving his country in the Marine Corps as well.

It is important to celebrate the joyous events of life. It is equally important to take a moment on those solemn occasions and remember, to be quiet in respect, to say a prayer, to recognize how a few seconds of our life changed the rest of our life. Maybe the day that impacts you the most is not on the list above. Maybe it is something much closer to home, something more personal. It did not make the national news, but it still changed your life. It is worth a moment, so stop, shed a tear if you need, say a prayer, give thanks for the days that were shared, even if they seem to have been cut short, recognize how a person, gone so long, still impacts your life. Then, when you start back with the rest of your day, be that kind of person that will leave footprints behind so people will see the trail you took when you walked through their life.

Craig C. Krueger