Come From Away

Come from Away split my heart wide open. If you aren’t familiar with the tony nominated musical, it tells the story of a small town, its’ people, and the 7000 guests who would arrive most unexpectedly. That town is Gander, a province of Newfoundland. It is the town where 38 planes were diverted and grounded on the day of September 11 when US airspace closed due to the terrorist attacks, almost doubling the population of the province.

The musical tells about a community that pulled together to feed, clothe, and bed all the passengers who had been stranded with little knowledge of when, or if, they would ever make it to their intended destinations.

For me, one of the most moving scenes in the production is when the character of Kevin begins singing the hymn “Make me a channel of your Peace”. This catapulted me back to my Catholic school days of singing in the pews between genuflections. While I’ve moved away from the rule based dogma of Catholicism hearing this song in this new context as characters of various faiths joined in with their own prayers, in their own languages, with their own gestures felt like the holiest of moments - making me want to believe all over again.

If you haven’t seen it, go. If you didn’t bring tissues, make your way to the nearest bathroom for some toilet paper (believe me, you’re going to need it). The production is a playbook in compassion, and a reminder of the capacity we all have to bring comfort to each other. It truly is a tribute to the power of the collective for which I’ll kiss a cod any day of the week.

I was lucky enough to meet the real Beverly Bass last year - first female captain of an American Airlines aircraft and pilot of one of those diverted planes. Thank you for being such an inspiration Beverly!