The Broadway show Come From Away is the little-known story of the passengers on 38 planes that we diverted on 9/11 to Gander, Newfoundland when the American airspace was suddenly closed after the tragic events of that day. Suddenly nearly 7,000 people from all over the world landed in the small town—nearly doubling its size—and they needed food, showers, beds, and (most importantly) phones. They were stranded in a strange place with people who didn’t speak their language but who spared nothing to give the “come from aways” a safe place for a few days.

As we talked about the show and the way people cared for one another following the attacks on America, I couldn’t help but get very weepy. 2020 was full of anger and division, but we are capable of so much more! We are hopeful that goodness and kindness lies ahead.