National Tragedy

Over here in the United States, we've had quite a few awful things happen in a short period of time. First, as most of you know, was the Boston Marathon bombing, followed quickly by an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas (three hours from me). Now, we're watching a manhunt unfold as the Boston suspect(s) run from the authorities.

I woke up this morning incredibly sad, and I just couldn't shake the awful feelings of despair that come with these types of events. I think about my parents, and how they must have felt as the Oklahoma City bombing and Columbine shootings were going on, as the Unibomber and anthrax powder caused us all to fear our mailboxes. I worry about having children, something my husband and I hope to do soon. How do you raise children in a climate like this? How do we move on?

I found a knitting charity that collects and distributes knitted items in Boston, but their recent blog post explains that they can't handle an increase in items. The charity seems to be run part time by one person, so I can certainly understand what an undertaking that could be. At least it's April, and as of this post, the temperature in Boston is 70 degrees F, indeed a bit warmer than the mid-50's of Houston right now. Knitted items may get a little more use, but I believe the most useful thing we can do right now is donate money.

Many of the victims of the Boston bombing were injured, some severely. Some of these people are close friends of the knit community. Some are service officers and volunteers who may knit, know knitters, wear knit goods, or protect us on the streets of Boston and around the country. Although the fatality count is thankfully low, there are many injured people who don't need the added stress of mounting medical bills interfering with their recovery.

The One Fund is a collection of monetary resources to help those affected by the Boston tragedy. The fund, formed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino is applying for 501(c)(3) tax status, and appears to be a direct way to help all those affected.

Take a moment to think about your yarn. A skein of nice Madelinetosh or Wollmeise are around $25. Even a skein of Red Heart is around $4. If we all just gave $4, think of the good it could do. The One Fund accepts Paypal and traditional checks, so please consider a donation.

Big, yarny hugs for everyone today,
- YX