Bob CollinsThe main trouble with bad stories with happy endings is they quite often become happy stories with sad endings.
Such is the story today of Jeff Bauman, whom you may remember from this:
Jeff Bauman became the face of “Boston Strong,” the bravery that defied the fear of terrorism by persisting and recovering and standing against it. He represented what we like to think we are.
He lost his legs and learned to walk again. He didn’t do it alone.
He and his then-fiance (by his side in the picture above) were the inspiration we all needed. Their relationship even became the subject of a movie.
His now-wife, Erin, finally got a chance to finish the marathon last April. And just when you didn’t think your heart couldn’t swell any more, it did, when Jeff greeted her at the finish line.
Oh, if only life could be happy endings.
The couple announced today that they’re divorcing.
“Jeff and Erin have decided that it is best to move forward as friends,” a Bauman family spokesperson told Boston.com in an emailed statement. “Though their relationship has changed, their admiration, love and mutual respect for each other will never waver. They are dedicated to loving and parenting their daughter, Nora, and ask for privacy.”
Ultimately, these sorts of stories remind us that the story is theirs, not ours.
