As many of you know, Sheila Marcelo, CEO of Care.com, graced the cover of our Winter 2013 issue. In light of Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings, our hearts go out to Sheila and her staff, headquartered near the city. We share Sheila’s message of comfort and reverence for those lost below:

“Our company, Care.com is based in Waltham, MA, 11 miles outside of Boston. And while this day was not a holiday for our internationally-based group, many of our employees took the day off to celebrate – and cheer for our two employees, Jill and Morgan who were running their first marathon. (Sadly and scarily, a few of our “Care.com family” found themselves near the blasts at the finish line, but fortunately, they are safe and unharmed.)

Now, the whole idea of “celebrating a marathon” is a unique idea to many who live outside of marathon routes. But it is one that Bostonians grow up with. It is a state holiday, Patriots Day, when we commemorate the American Revolution. And with the weather getting warmer and pulling us out of a tough New England winter, this is a day of celebration and rejoice.

And then there are the runners. Boston is one of the toughest courses to qualify for, so many of the runners race as part of a charity. They are there supporting a cause, running because they raised thousands of dollars. Hoping this money will save more people. Sweating, aching, and pounding the 26.2 miles of pavement for people who are truly suffering.

So it makes sense that on a state-wide holiday when the weather starts to get warmer, and you are excited to celebrate spring, people along the multi-town course go out and cheer. Runners often wear their names – or the names of people who they are running for – on their shirts. And together with your kids, you can cheer for total strangers to achieve something they set their heart, mind and body to.

So when I say there are no words, it is more that I, like most of you, am tongue-tied.  I am overcome with sadness for the families affected, the ones who are suffering from loss and pain. The ones who will never be the same after what they saw, felt and experienced. And I find it very tragic that the people responsible would want to cause harm to innocent people.

I am left thoughtful and in prayer for those who have suffered and lost love ones. But we also need to find a way to help our great city of Boston. We will get our marathon spirit back. We will continue to cherish our neighbors. We will rally and cheer in the face of terror.

We need to be there for our loved ones and our community.

Please, feel free to share your stories and your notes below.

Love,
Sheila

P.S. This is a good piece about talking to kids about violence.”

Editor’s Note: This piece was originally posted on Sheila’s Blog on Care.com. You can read the original post and others here.