Had a hard time today getting back to the blog after a great, high-energy weekend - lots of friends and family, plus danced my butt off Saturday to the sound of the bluegrass geniuses from Denver - Oakhurst. They played their hearts out while their fingers froze on the deck of The Warming Hut in Breckenridge. In town to celebrate the first year anniversary of my friend, Stacey Connolly's, great Colorado comfort food restaurant.

And then we got the tragic news of the explosions at the Boston Marathon today. Nothing I can say, but my heart goes out to the victims and families. I considered bagging the blog this week, but then late tonight I remembered something my father used to say at times like these. He served during WWII in Europe with Patton and would never talk about the war.

However, when America would come under the sad kind of attack we all witnessed via the news networks today, my dad would simply say, "They have no idea who we are."

If you pressed him to explain, he'd say Americans come from a melting pot of people who went through hell before they ever got to these shores. At one point, England sent criminals to the colonies in lieu of imprisonment there. Immigrants fled famine in Europe in the mid-1800s with little more than the clothes on their backs and determination. Intolerance and persecution continued into the 20th century, bringing even more new citizens.

We've been underestimated by bullies more than once over the centuries. No matter who ultimately takes responsibility for the latest tragedy, their intent was to humiliate, subjugate, and keep us from continuing to be who we are.

Runners crowd one of the bridges during the NYC Marathon.Sorry to disappoint, but the runners won't stop striving to train and excel in marathons. And as long as the brave folks of Boston continue to celebrate Patriots Day, I'm betting the runners will still come.

If you're a writer, use today's strong emotions to craft something to make us all think. We're artists, and we're dangerous. The thoughts we churn out challenge the status quo, bullies, injustice ... Say it, own it.

Over and out.