I enjoy reading...it is one of a few activities that truly relaxes me. One of my goals this year is to read more. I just finished what I would consider the second "most moving" book I have read (first place goes to Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship).
The book I just finished is pictured above, The Day The World Came to Town. When US air space was shut down on September 11, 2001, planes coming into the US either had to return to their airport of origin or find an alternate place to land outside the United States. The little town of Gander, Newfoundland was home to what was once the longest runway in the world and a former US military refueling station. In less than a day, this town of approximately 10,000 people had 38 planes hosting 6,700 "visitors" drop in.
Gander, and a few smaller neighboring towns, opened everything from churches, to schools, to the Lion's Club to the fire department to house these temporary refugees that had no place else to go. Some people were on the their plane for nearly 24 hours from takeoff until they were cleared through security and given a place to stay.
This books is FILLED with stories of the hospitality shown to total strangers from 70 plus countries from around the world. It is nearly impossible to summarize all of the stories of selfless hospitality in this little Canadian province, but Mayberry has nothing on these "Newfies" (as they call themselves).
I will share just a couple snippets from this heartwarming account and then suggest you get the book (currently only $1.99 on the Kindle) yourself. Newfoundland had no known Orthodox Jews, so when meals were prepared for their guests, fixing kosher food was never even considered. Four Orthodox Jews never complained, but for nearly 24 hours they did not eat because they could not eat the food being offered. They did not say anything because they did not want to appear ungrateful. When another passenger found out why they were not eating, they told their Newfie hosts (they were staying at a school) and an entire kosher kitchen was set up for these 4 guests.
The Red Cross, Salvation Army, et all could not provide enough bedding, towels, etc so the townspeople (the WHOLE TOWN) immediately stripped extra beds and brought their own linenes and towels from home. At night, townspeople would stay up until 3 am washing towels for use the next day.
Townspeople took total strangers into their homes. One group of four came to a host home to find the spare bedrooms stripped of sheets and the hosts not having enough towels because they had already taken them to town. When asked how everybody in town would get their own towels back, the answer surprised them....they wouldn't, they'd just go get what they needed from "the pile" when everybody left.
The "plane people" as they were called by the locals, rarely had to walk any great distance because they were offered rides. Two girls were offered a ride and afterwards told, "I work all day tomorrow. If you want to borrow my car to go sightseeing for a break, you are welcome to it".
The last story I will share is about the local "tire company" in Gander. I do not remember the name of the store, but it seems like they were a sporting goods type store as well. When the parent company heard what was going on, they gave the store permission to give away "anything and everything the plane people needed" and if they did not have enough in stock, they could get it from a sister store. If there still was not enough, they could use company money to shop at "the competition" and buy what was needed. The store spent $20,000 from it's own store budget and another $10,000 buying supplies at another chain.
This book follows the stories of a number of passengers (including two families who adopted babies from Kazakhstan) from their point of origin, to Gander and finally to their destination in the US several days later. Some flew out, some took the ferry to Nova Scotia and drove back to the US, but they all had stories to tell. The stories and hospitality of several Newfies are also shared.
If you want a "feel good" book that shares personal behind-the-scenes glimpses to a story you may never have thought about, I highly recommend The Day The World Came to Town.
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