Waiting...waiting...waiting...

A normal busy day gets turned upside-down and is spent waiting. Confusion, helplessness, emptiness, and fear bombard me from every direction. I watch the news and see First Responders rushing in and people wheeled out, bloody and devastated. I call her, but her phone goes right to voicemail. I don't see her on the news as I search the victims faces and people running through the crowds, screaming. I text her - no response. She's out there somewhere. She was off from work for Patriots Day and went to the Red Sox game with co-workers, but the game is over. Did she go to see the marathon or did she sit in a bar with friends enjoying the afternoon?

Waiting...waiting...waiting...

My ears are ringing but phones aren't. Texts come in but they aren't the one I want to see. I try not to cry but the tears still flow. Cell phone service is shut down. I post on facebook and hope she or any of her friends will respond. I hope for the best, but every scenario of the worst floods my brain. I can't block it out and I can't turn away from the tv. There is nothing else I can do.

Her fiancé is at work and hasn’t heard from her either. Finally, her friend posts that she heard from co-workers that she's safe. Thank God! A couple hours later and hearing from her directly, finally puts my mind at ease. She had been sitting in a bar a few blocks from the explosions. She's my daughter and there was nothing I could have done to protect her.

Those few hours of not knowing were horrifying. My heart goes out to all the victims of this madness and also to their families.