Tuesday morning

I was spared all the anxiety and bubbling panic of waiting for phones to be answered: the first I knew of the attack was when I read a text from Charlie at a quarter to six, this morning, telling me that she and Hannah were safe and nowhere near the MEN. It was only then that I looked at the news and read about the bomb attack.

Perhaps what shocked me the most was that had tickets been available, the miniMinx would almost certainly have been there with her friends. When I first met the Minx, over four years ago now, I'd never heard of Arianna Grande but the miniMinx was a huge fan and has remained so ever since. So as I went out for my run, I found myself repeatedly thinking 'what if?'.

After I got home and showered, I sat outside having a coffee while Dan and Abi got themselves up and ready for school and I read about the acts of heroism and the kindness shown by the people of Manchester towards the victims and people caught up in the event, and that's the part that I chose to focus on. 

It gets quoted a lot at times like this but here are the words of Fred Rogers: "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping'. To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world."

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-6.3kgs