HOW YOU KNOW SPRING HAS ARRIVED IN PORTLAND...

Spring is heralded in many ways in different cities in this country: flowers blooming, birds singing, etc. However, in Portland unique signs indicate Spring's arrival. These are a few of my favorite rites of Portland's Spring. 

1) The smell of daphnes in my backyard even before the flowers have bloomed.
2) Ice clinking in everyone's reuseable coffee cups as temperatures become less frigid.
3) Parks filled with kids of all aging playing soccer... without mud puddles and lakes due to a break from the incessant rain.
4) Farmers' markets!
5) Neighbors returning outdoors doing yard work and chatting with each other.
6) Green grass that grows like weeds and that requires near weekly cutting... by our lawn guy. :)
7) Clear views of the mountains on a near-daily basis.



Doesn't it make you want to visit?

CITY UNDER SIEGE

Tonight, the second Boston Marathon bombing suspect is in custody and in critical condition. The other suspect, his brother, was killed late last night, ending a terrible, eventful week in that city.

Hopefully, facts and motives will emerge if the second suspect can be saved. It is hard to believe that any of us are hoping he actually lives, but that may be the only way to determine if other terrorist acts are in the works.

Whether he lives or dies, I am afraid that there will be not be satisfactory explanations for such horrendous and cowardly actions that culminated in a police manhunt and city lockdown. Most of us will never understand what could have motivated these men to hate, to maim, and to kill.

Boston and this country will be changed forever because of the actions of these two young men. However, Boston will emerge stronger and more united.  The world is with you Boston. Indeed, this sign says it all.

Be strong and sleep tight Boston! You deserve it after this week from hell...

PROFILES IN COWARDICE

Today, the United States Senate voted down several proposals that would have expanded gun control. The measures that failed to reach a 60 vote filibuster-proof majority included: 1) background checks favored by 90% of Americans, 2) a ban on high-capacity gun magazines, 3) and a ban on assault weapons that are the weapon of choice of both soldiers in battlefields and mass murderers in our schools and on our streets.

There were many victims or family members of victims of gun violence who were present in the Senate when the final votes were cast.  Among them was Ms. Patricia Maisch, a survivor of the the Virginia Tech shootings. Upon hearing the results of the vote, Ms. Maisch shouted, "Shame on You." I cannot think of three better words to describe how I am so many Americans feel about the cowardly 46 Senators, including 4 Democrats (Begich of Alaska, Pryor of Arkansas, Baucus of Montana, and Heitkamp of North Dakota), who failed to stand up for me, you, and our children.

In a stirring Op-Ed, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords echoed Ms. Maisch words -  Shame on you! - as she decried these legislators' cowardice.  These Senators helped defeat common sense today while helping the munitions manufacturers and their acolytes win.

President Obama was equally critical in a statement from the White House, which he gave while surrounded by families of those affected by gun violence.  The President said that this fight was not over despite the cowardice of these legislators. He said he would continue to fight for the dead, the maimed, and their loved ones.  He implored us to get involved and contact our congressional "leaders." I encourage you to do the same. Then, he became Comforter-in Chief and tried to provide some measure of solace to the grieving family members that had been affected by gun violence.

On a day when my own daughter's school felt compelled to conduct a "lock-down drill," it is hard to have faith in this country and in this world.  At Cate's school, the children were told that this exercise was about self-control and safety and that is was just practice. When I asked little Cate why they were practicing this drill, she merely said, "In case a stranger comes into my school." God forbid that might ever happen, but that is probably what the parents in Virgina Tech thought after Columbine or what the Newtown parents thought after Virgina Tech.

When will enough be enough?  What disaster must take place for gun owners and gun makers to be inconvenienced with greater gun regulation and oversight? How many lives are these "civil liberties" worth? To anyone who has lost a loved one or who is kept up at night worrying about their loved ones, the answer is that no other massacres should be necessary to effect change.

We have had a lot of tragedy lately - Boston, ricin-laced letters. However, the greatest tragedy is the unwillingness of our elected leaders to stand with us, to protect us, and to put politics behind principle.

I will not soon forget these 46 cowardly Senators, and I urge you to make them feel your scorn - not with firearms that they would let proliferate on your streets and your kids' schools - but at the ballot box. 2014 cannot come soon enough, and I will support any Democratic primary opponent on these cowards...

WE ARE ALL BOSTONIANS!

LASTING IMAGE

There have been many images plastered across television screens, webpages, and newspapers since the tragedy in Boston yesterday. However, one image has captivated me and so many people more than all the others. 

Martin Richard loved little league and spending time with his family, with whom he attended the Marathon annually. He was eight, the age Nicholas will turn in July.

The bomb took his life. However, his spirit and hopefully his message of peace, which he wrote after the tragedy in Newtown, will prevail in the days to come.

Sweet dreams little prince.

HEARTBREAK HILL

Today, bombs exploded in at least two locations near the the finish line of the Boston Marathon. A scene of celebration was rapidly transformed into a scene of carnage rivaling the horrors witnessed in war zones. Based upon the most recent reporting, at least two people have died and over 130 people have been injured - many of whom have lost limbs or whole parts of their bodies.

It is still unclear who is responsible for such a heinous and cowardly attack.  Finding out who perpetrated this disaster and why is the question of the day. However, even once the guilty are caught and their motives are clarified, our hurt and our spirits will remain shaken.

This is because sport and running, specifically, are the ultimate acts of freedom.  One only needs a pair of shoes and a surface to run.  In this country, the young, the old, men, women, and children are all free to run, to push themselves, and to test their limits in a race like the marathon.

I ran the New York City marathon in 2004. I was injured during that race and took several years to get back into running. However, I have no regrets about running and completing that 26.2 mile race. 

That race taught me about human perseverance in the face of pain - physical, mental, and emotional. That race taught me that I could do something that most people find unimaginable. That race taught me that we never walk or run alone. 

I still remember a young man my age - his bib had the name Dan it and said he was from Indiana - who helped carry me through the final miles.  Dan saw me struggling, half-walking, half-stumbling, and he encouraged me to keep going. We walked/ran for several miles, and our shared suffering and strength helped propel me forward.  Each of us knew nothing about the other, except that we were both runners and that we both needed a helping hand. That is the essence of the marathon for those who run it and those who cheer the runners on.

In many ways, our lives are marathons. We face steep uphill challenges like the crest of Boston's Heartbreak Hill. We have starts and stops. We sometimes fail and have to wait until the next year to accomplish our goals. However, we are never alone - in victory or defeat. To those who sought to terrorize us, we are terrified today by your violence. However, we know that we are not alone, and our solidarity will give us strength in the coming days.

Today, we are all Bostonians.  Even in New York City, the rival of all Boston rivals, fraternity replaced scorn. At the Brooklyn Academy of Music, a simple tribute was projected on the building's facade. It is shown below.

Tomorrow is a new day in America. Legions of runners like me will face that day tomorrow morning. We will be greeted not by darkness... but by light.