It’s the day after the bombings at the Boston Marathon. I’m trying to do business as usual, but it’s not that easy.

My youngest child and I were in Boston yesterday for the festivities. It would have been very easy to ask, “Hey, do you want to cheer the runners at the finish line?” It’s something I’ve done in years past.

I’m thinking a lot about the families affected by the blasts, and it’s very difficult. The local media, both print and radio, are filled with voices both somber and enraged. As Brad Feld posted today, I too shed tears.

I used to work and live in the area where the bombs were. I go there for business meetings and events quite often. The whole area is in lockdown mode.

I’m grateful that first responders immediately jumped into action to protect and save (the above photo was taken right after the first blast). I’m grateful that the medical tent was so close to the finish line, and that many of the world’s best hospitals are in Boston.

I hope whoever planned these attacks will be caught soon. I hope they realize that nearly all of the non-professional runners in the marathon run to raise money for various charities. In other words, the runners weren’t running just for themselves.

I hope the perpetrators know that the attack happened on Patriots’ Day in Boston, which commemorates the start of the American Revolution. In Boston, that day is a celebration, meant to remember freedom and a fight against tyranny.

Clearly, that fight continues now. So, on this day, we are all Patriots, and we are all Bostonians.

Please consider giving to the victims and their families. The tech community, via Fundraise.com, has set up a campaign here. I just gave, and please do the same. It may not seem like a lot, but the kindness of strangers, a sign of real love, will mean much to these families.