More than three years ago, the whole world watched in horror as the events of the Boston Marathon bombings unfolded.
The Tsarnaev brothers's reign of terror was quickly brought to an end by the coordinate efforts of the Massachusetts police, but not before leaving dozens of victims.
Like brave young Rebekah DiMartino, many are working hard to overcome their injuries and build meaning out of tragedy.
However, four souls did not survive the bombing, including eight-year-old Martin Richard. The sweet little boy, gone way before his time, spent his brief life encouraging peace and love, and has been embraced in death as a powerful reminder of those values.
For Massachusetts police officers, little Martin's legacy of peace is especially important.
So recently, when one officer in the Greater Boston area spotted a license plate that brought Martin to mind, he decided to pull over the driver — but not to give him a ticket.
Scroll through below to see the incredible plate that stopped the cop in his tracks, and what happened next.
On April 15, 2013, the people of Boston suffered a tremendous tragedy when the Tsarnaev brothers set off bombs at the finish line of the city's historic marathon.
But from the unimaginable devastation of the attack emerged a new motto, Boston Strong, which speaks to this incredible city's ability to stay standing in the face of any catastrophe.
Two years after the attack, Massachusetts police continue to embrace the Boston Strong message, posting uplifting thoughts and photos to Facebook, keeping spirits up and honor the victims of the attack.
Martin Richard was just 8 years old when he lost his life while waiting at the finish line with his family.
In his brief time on earth, little Martin had already begun to show the kind of generous spirit that marks a great man in the making.
Here, he's pictured in an iconic photo, holding a sign that reads, "No more hurting people. Peace."
Martin made that simple, powerful sign in school after a lesson about peaceful protest.
The plain message expresses something that children often grasp better than grown-ups: Peace is as simple as being kind to one another.
After Martin died, that image of him as a tiny peacemaker became his legacy, and it was incorporated into a memorial statue of the little boy holding his sign.
Then, just a couple of weeks after Martin's statue went up, a police officer in Brighton, MA, spotted a license plate that stopped him in his tracks.
According to a post on Facebook, he said:
"You know it’s a funny thing… because I had Martin Richard on my mind after reading about the unveiling of his statue at Bridgewater State University.
"Next thing I know, a car with a license plate that reads ‘PEACE’ pulls out in front of me."
The officer was so stunned by the coincidence that he immediately asked the driver to pull over.
Here's what happened next:
"So, I pulled up next to the car and, before the operator could say anything, I said to him, ‘Listen, you’re not in trouble. I just wanted to tell you that I love your license plate.’
"Upon hearing the compliment, the operator, a delightful man in his early sixties, grinned appreciatively and said, 'Thank you, I love it too.'”
The post on the Boston Police Department page continues:
"The officer then posed the following question, 'Why PEACE?'
"To which, the operator wisely replied, 'Why not?'
"And, you know what, those of us here at the BPD couldn’t agree more."
We can't know for sure, but we all have a feeling that little Martin Richard would have agreed, too.
To learn more about this brave little boy and his message of peace, check out the Martin Richard Foundation.
Please SHARE if you believe in the power and necessity of peace.
