And, Once Again.....Damp Eyes.....

On Mother's Day Dave and I went down to Milwaukee to see "Come From Away".... the musical. I hadn't heard much about it, but friends recommended it and so we decided it would be a nice way to celebrate the day. Frankly I had zero expectations because I couldn't figure out how anyone could make a musical about 9/11 that would be entertaining. But from the opening number to the very end we were drawn into the story and back to the day it happened.

We were living on our sailboat, so for us, that day began with a little of the morning news on our small TV and then we lifted the anchor and enjoyed the most amazing blue-sky day sailing east on Narragansett Bay. We were heading for NYC so that we could travel back down the East River right next to downtown. All day our sails filled and the wind was in the perfect direction.....it was beautiful. We dropped anchor somewhere off the coast of Rhode Island and Dave took the dingy to town for some food....and raced back, telling me to put on the TV. So at about 4:00 in the afternoon we learned what had happened earlier that morning....and our little 9" screen was filled with images we will never forget.

And as I watched the musical and listened to the lyrics and the dialogue my eyes were damp from start to finish. It was an amazing production and the cast was incredible. The staging did so much with so little....and the story line unfolded without a hitch. All of those airplanes being forced to land in Newfoundland when American airspace was shut down. All of those strangers being welcomed by strangers. The small towns around the small airport finding ways to feed/house/comfort thousands of people who were unaware of what had happened, had no idea where they were or how long they would be there and only wanted to talk to their families and get home.

Yesterday I picked the CD up at our library so that I could re-listen to the production.....and the damp showed up again. It's not only a story of an incredibly frightening/sad/life-changing day in America....it's also the story of strangers coming together and finding connections. They came from away....all of them, but they found support and friendship while spending a few days on an island.

I love the songs.....Welcome to the Rock, Prayer, On the Edge...all of them. If you can't see the musical....find the CD and listen to the story. A new perspective.....and, after all, don't we all come from away?