17 years

17 years have gone by, yet I still remember so clearly sitting in my English class as my teacher wheeled in a t.v., and watching the devastating images of a second plane crashing into the Twin Towers in New York City. I remember thinking how much anger and hate you must carry with you to be able to knowingly take so many innocent lives and how life can change in an instant.  This feeling has always hit me every September 11th, but since becoming a flight attendant myself, it’s only grown stronger.

While September 11th always brings back feelings of terror, hate and loss, it was also a day where people came together with love and compassion.

Some of my favourite stories of this come from Gander, Newfoundland.  The recent musical ‘Come From Away,’  is based on a collection of true accounts of the days that followed September 11th, when 38 planes were grounded there after the American airspace was closed following the attacks.  I’ve seen the musical three times so far, and it continues to hit me just as hard. If you haven’t seen it and it’s playing anywhere near you – GO SEE IT!

There is also a book I just finished re-reading called, “The Day the World Came to Town- 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland”,  that shares stories from passengers, crew and the townspeople who generously dropped everything and opened their doors to the “plane people” who arrived in their small town.

These stories make me so proud to be a Canadian and remind me that even in the darkest times, love and kindness will always overpower hate.