Tag Archives: Bostonstrong

it’s the world gone crazy

15 Sunday Mar 2020

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If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds. C. S. Lewis

Coronavirus has brought the world to a standstill. People are hiding in their homes.  Panic buying. The toilet paper is gone. Shelves are cleared in supermarkets. People are waiting hours in lines. Major League sports have cancelled or postponed their seasons. Around the world gatherings are being cancelled. Churches are putting services online. People are scared to go out of their houses. I have never washed my hands so much, used so much hand sanitizer, or wiped surfaces multiple times daily with disinfectant wipes.

I am really struggling with how to respond to all of this. I have never experienced a global pandemic. I have been in Texas with my aunt & uncle since the beginning of February. I am away far away from my home and my family. Things are so uncertain. Will I be able to get home to Asheville when it is time for me to go home? Will I even be able to cross state lines? Will I be stuck in Texas forever? (GASP THE HORROR) It feels so unsettling to not be at one’s home. Near one’s family, but, I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I know God put me here because my Aunt and Uncle are going to need my help, and I am happy to be where I am supposed to be.

But I am a little scared. I am a little worried. Where do you even turn during this. How do you survive a global pandemic? How do you keep two little kids home from school for weeks and entertain them and make sure they don’t spend 100% of their time playing video games? Will people that I love get sick? Will people that I love die?

It is my natural tendency to panic. Not outwardly panic. Google panic. I research everything. I have been checking news updates obsessively. I read one thing and think oh good it won’t be that bad, I read another and think omg we’re all going to die. I walk around the house with disinfectant wipes. I diffuse something random as if it is going to save us…

I read facts and statistics… Ebola killed 11,315 people, Spanish Flu 20-50 MILLION, The Black Death 75-200 MILLION…. surely it won’t be that bad. And the world survived those things… And they didn’t have modern medicine…

I know I need to fall on my knees and pray. PRAY. I know there is NOTHING else I can do. I know that no matter the spread of this virus, God is 100% in control. Take a deep breath Gina. God brought me through a terrorist attack. I thought I was going to die then. And I had such peace about it. What makes this any different? I had time to think about it and prepare for it and stock pile toilet paper (no I didn’t do that really)… But that doesn’t mean God is any less in control.

If corona is coming for us lets do more of these things. Let’s love more and do more good and make more memories. Let’s spend quality time (over FaceTime) Finish that project you’ve been putting off. Write that book you’ve been wanting to write (that’s for me too) Clean that closet you never look at… Read to your kids. Make some amazing memories. If corona is coming let us be THRIVING — “not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs.” [or coronavirus]

God’s got us. We are alive. Right now.

There’s still time for LOVE.

There’s still time for relationships.

There’s still time for HOPE.

Stay safe out there ❤

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Color Run

01 Saturday Aug 2015

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Back in February, I decided that signing up for the Color Run in July would give me the motivation I needed to begin running and build up my strength in my right leg. I began training and even made it up to 1/4 mile of running, but I started having a lot of pain and my PT told me I probably shouldn’t run as it was only aggravating everything. Because part of my calf is missing, I probably won’t ever really run again.

I didn’t give up however. Participating in a Color Run has always been on my bucket list. So I trained with the elliptical and walking and was determined that although I couldn’t run, I would complete the 5k race in under an hour.

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My friend Laura came up from Atlanta and my mom also joined us in the colorful walk.

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It was so fun going through the flying colors and we kept a brisk pace coming in at the end in under an hour! Two years ago they told me I might not walk again. And maybe I’ll never run again, but at least I’ll be checking Color Run off my bucket list!

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Next thing to check off… IRELAND! What are some things on your bucket list??

Boston

05 Sunday Jul 2015

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Last week’s adventure was a surprise trip to Boston! I really felt like I was supposed to go to the final day of the trial. The official sentencing. So I asked if it would be possible  for me to go and Monday evening they called back with a plane ticket and a hotel! Tuesday morning I was on a plane to Boston.

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I got to spend all of tuesday wandering around. Visiting all my favorite places and seeing some of my favorite people. I spent the afternoon with Nicole and had dinner with Dara. It was a lovely day that ended with a spectacular sunset. (we had tornado warnings, so that probably had something to do with the craziness of the sky, but still amazing)

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Wednesday I spent most of the day in court. Listening to survivor’s statements, the lawyers final words, Tsarnaev even gave a statement, and then the judge’s sentencing. Maybe someday I’ll write about all of that, but this is only about the fun adventure, not the hard, emotional part of it.

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After 6 hours in court, a group of survivors gathered at a restaurant to catch up and wind down from the day’s events. I saw more friends and then spent some more time wandering the city before I had to catch my train in the evening.

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Every time I go to Boston I am reminded how much I love it. Its peaceful beauty, nestled on the harbor, history leaking out of its bricks. It truly is an amazing city. And I am so thankful I got to have a little adventure there last week!

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

09 Thursday Apr 2015

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I’ve been getting calls from the media, and questions from people throughout the day. Even the woman at my rental office asked me if I had heard about the sentencing. I couldn’t decide if I should comment about it or not. Tsarnaev was found guilty of all 30 charges against him. The trial will now move on to decide if he will get life in prison or the death penalty. I hate speaking with the media because they skew everything you say and use it for their own purposes. So I have been formulating my thoughts and present them here as my official opinion on the trial.

Yes, he hurt me and many of my loved ones. Yes, our lives are changed forever and some of us will live in pain the rest of our lives. What he did was wrong and as a consequence he was found guilty of all 30 charges. As for the death penalty, I believe the Bible is true and has many things to say about this situation. I am basing my position on the following verses:

Romans 13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

Titus 3:1 be submissive to rulers and authorities

Romans 12:19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

As survivor of these crimes committed by Tsarnaev, I choose to pray for the jury and judges. For the governing authorities. Who have been put in that place of authority by God, the ultimate Judge. I pray that they make the right and just decision. I choose not to seek revenge. I choose to leave him to the wrath, or mercy, of God.

Valiant

19 Thursday Feb 2015

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A friend recently challenged me to pick a word for my year. A word that would help keep me on track and help point me towards my goals. I’ve been thinking about it for a few weeks. It seems like a big deal. How do I know how the whole year will go? How do I know if my word will still be relative six months from now? Nonetheless, I started making lists. That’s how I am. A list person. I asked myself some questions.

1. What do I want to achieve?

2. What am I doing badly or poorly?

3. What can I improve?

And I just started writing. I want to live boldly. I don’t want to waste time. I want to do things for the right reasons, not because I feel bad or think I’ll make someone upset. I’ve been a people pleaser my whole life and I’m pretty sick of it actually. I want to break free from bondage. I want to live my life to the fullest. I don’t want to worry about other people’s opinions. I want to boldly take control of my life. I want to accomplish things. I want to do things that matter.

Then I started looking at a thesaurus and a dictionary. Freedom. Boldness. Break free. Fullness. …

Valiant

Valiant: Possessing or acting with bravery or boldness; carried out with courage or determination. To be of worth. To be strong, stalwart & brave.

So this is the year that I will be valiant. I will act with bravery and boldness. I will have courage and determination. This is the year I publish my book. I will value myself, because I have worth. This is the year I run my first race. I am strong, and I am brave. This is the year I travel to places I’ve always wanted to go.

What’s your word?

Only mostly dead

10 Monday Jun 2013

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Today I can wiggle my ankle. It’s really a muscle in my leg working as hard as it can to do anything, but I couldn’t do that before. I was showing Pete this morning and I felt like I was in the Princess Bride. “Look! You wiggle your finger! Doesn’t that make you happy?!” Haha I feel like I will have many more of those moments as time goes on. As my nerves hopefully heal. Some day I will have control if my ankle. It won’t just twitch awkwardly. Someday my toes will wiggle again… Someday!

the bird song

29 Wednesday May 2013

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There’s a bird that hangs out around our house. I’m not sure what kind of bird it is. But it is always singing. Sometimes its on one side of the woods, sometimes the other. You can hear it no matter where you are in the house. It sings all day. You would think that would get annoying, but this bird just sounds so joyful. So happy. It just has to proclaim. And proclaim it does. I like the bird. It’s nice to hear his cheery song all throughout the day. Last night there was a huge thunderstorm. It was loud and rain was pouring down. Several times I woke up to loud crashes of thunder and the house shaking on its foundation. And one time when I woke up I noticed that the bird was chirping. Nice and loud. Amidst the thunder and the rain, his song could be clearly heard. I rolled over and went back to sleep, but I remember thinking, wow even in the midst of this awful storm, that bird is still so happy.

How does that bird always sing? He hasn’t a care in the world. And even when storms are raging all around him, he still lifts his song. It just struck me. Made me think before I drifted back to sleep. Maybe I need a little more singing in my storm. Maybe I can learn a lesson from a crazy bird. There’s a quote someone said that goes something like this: “Instead of telling God how big the storm is, tell the storm how big your God is”. And maybe that’s just what I needed to remember today. God knows already how big my storm is. He knows my knee hurts and my ankle hurts and I can’t feel my foot and I can’t walk. He knows what I am going through and what I will be going through. And maybe I just need to think about that more often and think about the storm less.

Maybe I need to start singing.

The Marathon Ahead-DiMartino Family

22 Wednesday May 2013

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My Brother-In-Law just set up this site because so many people were asking how they could support us and make donations. Thank you all so much for the overwhelming support you have given so far. Our family, friends, church body, and communities have been such a huge blessing to us as we adjust to our new normals.

http://www.gofundme.com/dimartinofamily

Thank you!

Update 5/6/13

06 Monday May 2013

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Everyone is asking for an update, so here’s a quick synopsis. Peter and I are in rehab. We get Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy for 1 1/2 hours every day. (3 hours/day total) We also had speech therapy evaluations to see if we suffered any brain damage which neither of us did.

I am very mobile. I am independent in my room and get around with the walker. I can take my wheel chair to go visit Pete, and I am getting very confident with crutches. I have tons of nerve pain in my foot which is a good thing. I still have no feeling in my foot or ankle and have a full leg cast that is keeping my knee bent at a 70 degree angle.  Pete is harder to move around. He has skin grafts and burns and a large hole in his left foot. He has to keep his right leg straight out in front of him so he can get into a wheel chair with help and has to have a leg rest keeping his leg up. It’s not very comfortable for him though so he usually only gets into the wheel chair when he has to go to therapy.

Rebekah will be joining us here today! I’m not sure what time, but she is coming. We will all be on the same floor and our rooms are all close to each other. She has had a lot of complications and a lot of pain. I don’t really know all of her injuries, but bones in her hand are broken along with bones in her leg and foot. She hasn’t gotten out of bed much except to move to a recliner. She still has lots of pain so you can be praying for that. That they would get her meds balanced right and the she would start to heal and feel less pain.

Noah is at home in Texas with his grandpa. He is all recovered and had his stitches removed and before he left here was running around and mostly back to his normal self. He got tons of loot from the red sox and many others so he was enjoying being a celebrity in Boston. Pray for him as he will have emotional things to deal with and also he will be missing his mom!

Kim & Colton are back home in NC. They are doing well. Adjusting to being back to work/school. Colton’s parents came to visit so that was really encouraging for them.

Mom & Dad went back to NY for a few days and Dad is actually on his way here right now. He will be here until Wednesday when he will take me HOME! I am being discharged and can’t wait to get back to NY! I will be looking forward to lots of visitors. (And good food)