Dear Editor:

The city was alive with Boston Strong T-shirts. The mood was upbeat. Nobody seemed afraid to be out on the streets, waiting for the runners to pass by. We pushed our way onto the subway, standing nose to nose with other Red Sox fans on their way to Fenway Park. Another stop and more got on. Can’t imagine how they could pack another bunch in at the next station, but they did.

We arrived at Fenway Park just five minutes before the game started. Thank heavens the National Anthem was not sung by a pop star, but played by the Boston Fife and Drum Corps in their red and gold uniforms (it’s Patriots’ Day, remember). Beautiful. The stadium was packed, the team had on their Boston shirts, the same ones they wore last year the day after the Boston Marathon bombings.

The young man who was most seriously wounded in the bombing last year threw out the first pitch. He walked out proudly, on one strong leg and one wobbly prosthetic leg, to make a perfect pitch. The crowd roared its approval.

The Red Sox didn’t win the game, but they came close, and nobody cared. It was a sunny day, a bright blue-sky day, a glorious moment to be in Fenway Park, and the Red Sox did their best. That’s all that mattered. Boston Strong.

Helen Meserve
Newagen