When American airspace closed on September 11, 2001, 38 airliners were sent to the little town of Gander, Newfoundland. Almost overnight a town of about 10,000 people, with only around 500 hotel rooms, was hosting roughly 6,700 stranded travelers. The mayor said they were going to take people in when they had nowhere to go, because that’s just the way they are. Churches, schools, and halls opened up, folks brought blankets and food, and volunteers worked around the clock for five days. Lifelong friendships came out of it.
