Praying for all affected

“A dainty little daffodil
Turns her head in glee
For everywhere she looks,
She sees green and growing trees!
Her yellow friends sprout in wonder,
Seeking bright light from the sun,
Their golden faces smiling
For springtime has begun.
By Donna Frank

Hubby and I are so delighted that two of our daffodils have finally bloomed. As I mentioned before, the Murphy School has quite a few of the pretty yellow flowers. Driving along Hill Top Street I could see some lovely daffodils. The rose bush that is fastened to the trellis in the front yard is leafing out beautifully. It gets more and more difficult to see through it. The trees have leaf buds on them. The buds look just like pussy willows. Our forsythia bushes have turned yellow. Our Easter lilies now have seven trumpet flowers on each plant. They were well worth the money.

***
I was sorry to read of the retirement of Amalia Barreda from Ch. 5, WCVB-TV. Amalia covered such memorable trials as the O.J. Simpson murder case. She will retire at the end of June.

***
As I checked the obituaries in Friday’s Boston Globe, I was sorry to see a name that I knew. Marilyn (Wiegand) King passed away on April 11 at age 77. Although I did not know Marilyn, I do know her sister, Mary Claire Wiegand. (Mary has been a faithful reader of the Dorchester Reporter for years.) Marilyn was the wife of Patrick B. “Bernie” King. She was the mother of Stephen, Brian, Patricia Carter, and Diane Kimball. In addition to my friend Mary, Marilyn leaves three other sisters, Sr. Eleanor Wiegand, CSJ., Joan Gallagher, and Virginia Fontana. I send my sympathy to all the family.

***
I was so sorry to hear, on WBZ, that Mayor Tom Menino had broken the fibula bone in his leg one day last week while visiting one of our Dorchester schools. He will have to wear a “boot” and must use crutches for two months. I must thank the mayor and the city’s Elderly Commission for being so kind to us seniors. (The direct line to the Elderly Commission at City Hall is 617-635-4366.) I send best wishes to the Mayor for a speedy recovery.

***
What can I say about the bombings of Monday? Hubby and I kept changing from local stations, Channels 4, 5, 7, 25, NECN, to the news stations like CNN. We watched as the story unfolded. We heard of the heroics of not only the medical staff who were on duty for the race but also of the police, fire, EMTs, the National Guard, US soldiers, and even bystanders who rushed in to help. God bless them.

Hubby and I had been to noon Mass at St. Christopher’s on Monday. One of our friends told us, at the end of Mass, that she was going in town to see the marathon runners crossing the finish line. I called her cell phone when I heard of the explosions but there was no answer. I became anxious for her safety. I called her home and left a message on her answering machine, asking that she call us to let us know that she was safe. About six o’clock, she called us. She was close to the explosion area but was not affected physically. People came rushing into her area, telling people that they should get away quickly. She was ushered to a different area and then was left to find a way to her home in Southie. A lady from Braintree walked with her, as they tried to keep each other calm after what they had seen. Our friend had to walk a long distance to her home. She was still shaken as she spoke with me. She said that she was so relieved that she had not taken her car part of the way to Copley Square. “I would not have been able to drive.” I told her that the governor told everyone to stay inside for the evening. She said that she would do just that. She had to call a few more friends and family after speaking with us to let them know that she was safe.

I watched the news on Tuesday morning. I cried, once again, as I saw the explosions and the resulting chaos. I had spoken with our mailman Mike on Monday afternoon. He heard of the explosions as he walked his route. We just shook our heads as we tried to figure out who would do such a horrific thing.

Our phone rang several times after the explosion. Daughters Sue and Jeanne and niece Terri were in Virginia. They had driven there over the long weekend to wish their Aunt Joe Ann a safe trip to Arizona as she leaves her home in Virginia. The girls were supposed to have dinner with their aunt on Tuesday evening but after seeing the terrible news about Boston, they stayed at their hotel and watched the coverage on a huge TV screen. They were dumbfounded and saddened by what they were seeing. Their Auntie Joe Ann understood why they wouldn’t be coming to dinner.

Please pray for the victims of the explosions and their families. This is a thought I found in a magazine: “It is better to sleep on what you plan to do than to be kept awake by what you have done.”


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