gander international airport

I don't remember ever hearing about that place in Canada.

Perhaps if I had been watching the news, I might have, but I doubt it.

The events in New York City that forever altered its skyline on September 11, 2001, were so devastating that every media outlet was bursting at the seams to keep the world saturated by them.

That meant no TV, no radio, and no headlines in print for me.

It was a dark, dark time...

though with one solitary bright spot as far as I was concerned.

At least Mama had died and didn't have to be consumed by that tragedy and its horrible aftermath.

Such deep, dark, sadness in the world.

All of those feelings came welling up this afternoon.

I was at a musical, a story that I thought was about a plane and its passengers that had been stranded in Canada at the start of the pandemic.

Maybe I had simply wanted to believe that.

That's why I had bought my ticket several weeks ago, planning for my birthday celebration to include the SCAD play, this musical, and "Frozen".

Three theatrical productions for my bday68!!!

 

A new friend was to have joined me, but instead I ended up in the very same row as the Asbury theatre peeps!

i thank You, God.

I don't know how I could have sat through the entire show if I hadn't had their love and strength beside me at the Tybee Post Theater.

 

I was just fine with that first song in "Come From Away".

Upbeat and hopeful, "Welcome To The Rock" brought images of Okinawa to me and had me smiling!

Then came the scene with the mayor in the coffee shop, on a day like any other day, when the town's reporter burst in and had everyone look at the dire news on the television from the country across the border.

She didn't even have to say what was going on... we all knew.

That's when I realized I had tears rolling down my cheeks.

The musical had barely begun.

The second song, "38 Planes", broadcast the shock of that new reality as planes from thirty-eight countries came in at that airport in Gander.

Operation Yellow Ribbon had forecast the arrival of 18 planes, but more and more flew in as they could not go to the more populous cities in Canada, like Halifax and Toronto.

Suddenly, the town of 10,000 residents had almost 7,000 visitors, many who didn't speak English, many with special dietary needs due to their religions, most with no idea what had necessitated the diversion of their planes.

And those residents in Gander and nearby small towns took in the strangers who had come from away...

and gave them showers and fresh clothing to wear after hours on the planes on the tarmac...

and found places for them to sleep in the churches and school gym and in their own homes... 

and gathered food to feed them, even repurposing the hockey rink as a giant freezer...

and they provided phones and computers and ways for them to contact their loved ones...

doing it all with grace and hope and courtesy.

 

Even though there were other times during the show when tears came again, I left there with a renewed appreciation of the humanity in the world.

After the show, I wanted to thank each and every one of the actors for lending their talents and their voices to this story.

I made sure to go on fb and thank the Savannah Community Theatre for bringing this production to us, as well as Tybee Post Theater for providing a space for this performance.

Thank you, Tom, Heidi, Emily, Lainie, and Linda, for sharing this time and your hugs on this Saturday afternoon.

Now, time to go and feed Dane and give him some extra loving.

Touch is very important.