I know my fellow bloggers have all written about what occurred in Boston this week. But I couldn’t let the opportunity to go by without adding my thoughts. My cousin Josh’s speech to his son at his son’s bar mitzvah this past weekend inspired me to write about the heroes in Boston.

Josh, in his speech, recalled a famous discussion between two characters in the movie “Oh G-d.” John Denver, in trying to determine whether George Burns is actually G-d, says, “If you’re G-d, how can you permit all the suffering in the world?” George Burns replies, “I don’t permit the suffering, you do. I gave you each other to help.”

In Boston this week, we saw so many “others” who helped and became heroes. To just name a few, there was the man in the cowboy hat, Carlos Arredondo, who had lost his own son in Iraq and who ran towards the explosion to help injured spectators. Then there was Dr. Chris Rupe, who had just finished the race and ran to the medical tent to help the injured. There was also Bill Iffrig, 78 years old, down on the street in perhaps the day’s most iconic photo. He was so close to the blast that it blew him off his feet. But he got up, and finished his third Boston Marathon, inspiring runners everywhere. And, of course, any discussion about heroes must also include mention of the Boston Police Department, the FBI, the DEA, and the ATF.

This blog is for the others, the ones that that helped. Thank you for helping us to remember that we have each other and we have good people, even in the face of horrendous tragedy.God: I don't permit the suffering - you do.