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A Moment of Silence
On Monday, April 22nd, we had a Moment of Silence in Boston at 2:50PM.
The Moment of Silence occurred at several locations in Boston, and probably in many offices and businesses as well. I walked over to Boylston Street to pay my respect.
The police barricade on Boylston Street is about 50 feet south of the intersection with Berkeley Street. By the time I arrived the crowd was back into the intersection and I could not see the barricade.
I arrived on this scene well before 2:50, but the crowd was all ready silent. No one was making idle chit-chat or on their cell phones. All around us I could hear the rumble of the city and the occasional honking horn. We stood in somber silence. There were many photographers and videographers and I felt a little bit like a spectacle being observed and recorded. It was just a bit creepy. As the shutters clicked and the noses sniffled, we waited in silence.
Someone was making their way through the crowd letting us know how many more minutes until the moment began. He did not have to yell and we all heard him. He also asked people to shut off or turn down their electronic devices.
The crowd had been silent for so long that no one really seemed to know or realize when the moment arrived. Around 2:53, off in the distance, a lone church bell rang. It may have been close but it sounded like it was way down a nearby street. In the next minute more church bells range out. One set of bells was playing Amazing Grace the way a child picks out a song on a piano, hunting for each note but not always finding it.
This had to have been the most quiet crowd I had ever been in anywhere. During the entire “official” period of silence not a single phone range and not a single voice was heard. A small glimmer of joy awoke in my aching heart when I realized what we were doing. On a street corner in Boston, in the middle of the afternoon, about a thousand people stood absolutely silent for five or maybe even ten minutes.
Paying our respects to the dead and the fallen, honoring their suffering was all that any of us wanted to do. Nothing was more important. Nothing.
As the bells tolled I turned to look at the crowd behind me. I saw a friend from my running club. We nodded and smiled but did not move. After a moment I felt the need to go to her and share this moment. We had a hug and whispered hello, how ya doin, through strained voices. I think we both had tears behind our sun glasses.
As the crowd shifted and started to drift away Sue offered to give me a ride back to my office. As we walked I mentioned that she had been there when the bombs went off. She said yes. As she drove me back to Cambridge we discussed the traffic, directions and how good it was to see someone familiar.
ยฉ anagelin 2013
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11 responses to “A Moment of Silence”
A touching tribute. They held a short moment of silence immediately before the mass start of the London Marathon on Sunday. It was impeccably observed by 35,000 runners. The silence was a deafening message of support for all of our friends in Boston.
Thank you. I am so glad that your race did not have any issues. Hopefully no one else will get any crazy ideas.
Last night at about an hour after your silence a group of London runners got together for #BostonStrongLondon – a Boston Marathon Memorial Run in Hyde Park. There were 25 of us in total and we ran a 5K route as a show of solidarity with everyone affected. Lots of runners I know have felt like they wanted to ‘do’ something to show their support and this seemed like the obvious thing – get out there and do the thing that we are lucky enough to be able to do.
Here’s a link to the Facebook Group page where there’s some photos https://www.facebook.com/groups/134537990069658/
Thank you. I tried the link but it just had profile photos. I think the page is private or something.
Please pass along my appreciation for what your group did. We are feeling the love here in Boston.
The Governor just went past my building on the way to the memorial for the MIT police officer who was killed. All of this is still very present with us here.
I can only imagine. The woman that led the run last night studied at Boston Uni and has a lot of friends living on the city who have all been affected one way or another. I remember how I felt having been in London at the time of the bombings on the underground here – all I can say is hang on in there, your city will never feel quite the same again, but it will emerge stronger from it all. Take care.
Powerful moment! We had a moment of silence at my office building — we are one block away from the intersection where the officer was killed at MIT. I can see the corner from my office window. I also had a similar experience, where people fell silent before 2:50 and we stayed silent for some time after the minute had passed.
I knew I could walk there or jog if I had to. It was so close I knew I had to be there. The Run To Remember will be huge this year. I want to run it but may have to travel for work that weekend. ;(
This is beyond a beautiful story. I’m crying, in a good way.
Thank you for these powerful pics, and STAYING STRONG!
Thank you.
It was just amazing that the crowd was silent the whole time. I think we were all chocked up and deep inside with our own thoughts. It was like being at a wake or funeral.
Aww love this post. I love reading posts about tributes to Boston. Very meaningful moment.
Thank you. We are getting better slowly.