Send Thank You Notes, Encouragement to Boston, Waco-Area Residents, First Responders

This has been a gruesome, unsettling, crushing week in the United States.

If you're like me, you've been equally riveted to and rendered despondent by Monday's bomb attack on the Boston Marathon, followed by the enormous explosion late Wednesday of a fertilizer plant that flattened communities near Waco, TX.

And once again, we've seen first-responders run toward the danger instead of away from it. We've seen and heard of acts of heroism and bravery in the face of terrifying circumstances. And the death of firefighters who were just doing their jobs.

No long dissertation here. A simple question: If you had the address of a Boston cop or a Waco firefighter, or could send a text to a frightened man or woman who stood on the street awaiting a marathon runner, what would you say to them today?

Please write a brief thank you note or a word of encouragement below and we'll pack them up and mail them to the city halls in Boston and West, TX. A small gesture, I know, but hopefully one that expresses our concern for the people affected by those horrific stories.

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